Lost in Mystic Creek 1
by xh4z3L3y3sx
Summary: A delightful mix of all our favorite couples thrown into one dramafilled culdesac. MAJOR AU and CROSSOVER. SpikeBuffy RoryJess PaceyJoey SawyerKate EdwardBella DracoHermione
1. Birthday Boy

Lost in Mystic Creek

Chapter 1

_**Birthday Boy**_

"Mommy, Daddy!"

The bed shook as three-year-old James Mariano jumped up and down rapidly, slowly rousing his parents from their sleep.

Jess Mariano groaned in frustration, letting one eye peek open to peer at the time. As he registered that it was only 5:42 in the morning, he tightened his grip around his fiancé's shoulder, Rory Gilmore. He didn't want her waking up this early, especially because she had a hell of a lot to do to meet his son's standards. Even more so because it was his birthday.

"Go back to sleep," said Jess groggily. "You're barely three feet high. How can you have all of this energy?"

"Birthday, Daddy!" The over-exuberant child screamed loudly. Next to him, he felt his fiancé stir as she turned to him, one eye opened blearily.

"Hmm?" She barely got out, before letting her eye close again. "Do I feel a birthday boy in the room?"

"Yup," He nodded excitedly, running over and plopping himself on top of his parents' intertwined arms. "Birthday boy present, Mommy."

"Why do you have to encourage him?" Jess moaned, turning over to face her. "He's got enough excitement in him to last for the day. Please, don't fuel the fire."

"Aw, look at big old Grumpy," Rory cooed, tapping the side of Jess's face with her palm.

"Jeez," Jess grumbled, burying his face into his pillow. "You're just as excited as he is, aren't you?"

"Don't you know it," Rory smiled, kissing him on the cheek quickly before turning back to James. "So, is the birthday boy ready for a big day full of cake and presents?"

James nodded enthusiastically, his smile getting impossibly wider by the second.

Jess re-emerged his face from his pillow, turning to smirk at Rory. "Have you forgotten the curse you set on your son from last night?"

Rory then glared at him, her eyes narrowing.

"Well, big boy, Mommy swore she wouldn't get you _any_ presents today for spilling milk all over her party dress. Good thing I got it off her in record time, or we'd be present-less today."

Rory blushed, reaching over to slap his shoulder lightly.

James turned to his mother, an apologetic look on his face. "Mommy, I didn't mean to make you naked. It was just milk."

Rory sighed. "It wasn't your fault I was naked afterwards."

"So you didn't care?" He asked, his blue eyes lighting up in happiness.

"Oh, I didn't think she minded _at all_," Jess smirked, slipping his hand around her waist, patting the bare spot between her tank top and pajama pants.

"_Jess_," She warned, turning her head to glare at him.

He took the opportunity to kiss her full on the mouth, smirking as he pulled away.

"Cooties!" James cried, launching himself towards his mother. He wiped her mouth clean with his sleeve before planting a kiss onto her mouth. "See, all gone."

"I liked your kiss _way_ better," She smiled, embracing him.

"He gets his good genes from _somewhere_," said Jess, leaning over to ruffle up James's hair.

Rory sat up, looking like she got a sudden burst of energy. "James, I think your old enough to know--"

Jess widened his eyes. "Hell no. I don't think he's old enough to have _that _talk."

"He's not," she said quickly. "I was talking about his birthday."

He looked at his fiancé with a puzzled expression.

"What about my birthday?" James asked eagerly.

"When I was little, my Mom would tell me all about the day I was born whenever I had my birthday," Rory explained, kissing his forehead. "I think it's story time."

"It's not a very good story, Rory."

She snickered at Jess. "You're just too proud to admit that you fainted."

"_Fainted_?" James inquired.

"Your Daddy fainted, which means he thought it was so yucky that he closed his eyes and wouldn't wake up for a long time." Rory chuckled. "It's nothing to be _ashamed _of, Jess," she said pointedly.

James giggled, putting his hand over his mouth.

"Well, you weren't so great either, _Rory. _The poor doctor had to put up with your annoying wailing."

Rory sent a glare at Jess, widening her eyes. "It hurt. You try having a body pushed out of your—"

"No need for graphic detail, thanks. I had enough of a picture to last me a lifetime at the hospital."

She took her pillow and slammed it against him. "What are _you _complaining about? You fainted after the second push! You met your son the day _after _he was born. You saw _nothing_."

James had his hands over his ears at this point.

"Oh, _please. _You were the one that was bitching about me not being there when I woke up. I recall you saying that I couldn't see him until I _apologized_."

"I did not!" Rory yelled childishly.

"You guys are funny!" James called out, now laughing out of control.

Rory smiled widely and reached over to take James into her arms. "And you're silly. I think you had enough of story time." He nodded, pretending to wipe sweat across his forehead. Jess rolled his eyes. "Honey, why don't you wait for us outside and I'll be right out to make you breakfast."

"Sounds _excellent_," James recited, as he had learned that word the week before. He paused when he made it to the door. "_Birthday _breakfast." He pointed a finger at his mother.

When Rory nodded, he left the room with a satisfied grin.

The second he did, Jess rolled over and pulled her closer. "This wasn't how I planned on waking you up." He let his hand travel dangerously down her stomach. "It would have been a lot more pleasant."

Rory slapped his hand away. "Are you crazy? We have to get dressed."

"James can wait." He leaned in, brushing his lips against her's. She gave in, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. He flipped them around and pressed his body against her's, biting her bottom lip softly. This resulted in parting her lips, which granted entrance of his tongue into her mouth.

The second this turned more heated, Rory pulled away, panting.

"Don't say anything," he pleaded. "_Rory_."

She grinned. "Jess, can you be a little more desperate? It's morning and our kid is waiting. You're not stupid. You know there's absolutely no way of this happening."

Jess shook his head, wrapping her up in a heated kiss once again.

"Jess," she mumbled into his mouth.

"_Mommy!_" They heard this scream from the other room.

"See," She told him, rolling off of his chest.

"_Momm-y_!"

"Duty calls," Rory told him, making a bee-line for the door and leaving him groaning.

--

Rory tethered a cluster of balloons to a tree nearby the cake table before turning around and looking at the birthday scene she and Jess had created. There were several tables set up around the modest sized backyard, a large table she set up for guests to place presents on, and an open area for the young kids to play in.

She felt a pair of arms encircle her from behind, and she smiled.

"It's quiet," Rory stated. "Where's the big boy?"

"Running around naked in the front yard," He replied, obviously at ease. "I told him he could since it was his birthday, and his birthday suit is most appropriate." He kissed her neck, chuckling against the small bit of bare skin.

She turned around so quickly, he was sure that his lip was bruised. "You're kidding. Because if you aren't kidding, you better go out there and find some clothes for our kid to wear. Now."

He smirked. "What if I don't?"

"I'll hurt you."

"Oh yeah?" He seemed to be turning everything into a sexual innuendo.

Rory let out a sigh and smacked his arm. "What if someone sees him, Jess? You can't just let him do whatever he wants!"

"No one's gonna see him."

"You don't know that. Are you _trying _to turn this day into a nightmare? The guest's will be here in an hour and I'm not even changed! Now I have to run out there and bathe a screaming kid." Rory looked at his smirk and frowned. "And get that smirk off your face."

Jess widened his eyes. "Rory, relax. He's a kid."

"Easy for you to say. You're not the one that has to do _everything _ around here."

"_Everything _is not breakfast and balloons."

She shook her head. "Shut up and go get him."

"Yes ma'am," He grumbled, marching towards the front of the house.

"Hey, Kiddo," Jess screamed, "get your naked butt over here!"

"No!" James screamed back, giggling and eluding every type of capture Jess attempted with him. Suddenly, Jess stopped, and simply said,

"I guess you're not in the mood for a surprise then…"

"A surprise?" James questioned cautiously, slowing down his naked gallop across the yard.

"I've got a surprise. And believe it or not, bad birthday boys that run around nude in the front yard don't get them," Jess exclaimed, knowing full well his plan would work.

"I want it! I want it!" James yelled, running full-force towards Jess. But, he didn't get the surprise he expected--- instead he got captured into Jess's strong hold, and forced into his birthday party outfit.

"You said I could be naked, like Mommy! It's no fair!" he whined childishly.

"It's very fair. Now, once your eighteen and want to make the lifestyle choice to be arrested for indecent exposure, I won't fight you." Jess grabbed him and held him like he was a sack of potatoes. "Everyone's getting here and you're not even there to greet them. Do you think they'll be giving you presents if they can't see you?"

James grinned. "Lemme go to Mommy."

Outside, they were met by "happy birthday!" cheers and smiling toddlers, toddling forth to meet the birthday boy. After James was situated, Jess walked over to Rory, and glued himself to her waist.

"Jess!" Rory sighed. "Finally. You left me alone here."

"Yeah, for two seconds." He let himself examine her in her new dress. She wore a red-striped strapless spring dress that went down to her knees. He had to stop himself from kissing her right then and there. She looked gorgeous. "Hmm…interesting dress."

Rory giggled, knotting her fingers through his'. "Thanks."

Jess closed his eyes, resting his head on her shoulder. "I'm very proud of you. You're being completely anti-social with me."

She ran a hand through his hair, making it slightly more unruly. "I am not. Pacey and Joey just haven't gotten here and I am _not _conversing with the soccer Moms."

"Can't even make the sacrifice for your own son, huh?"

"Shut up."

Jess chuckled.

"Rory!"

He bolted straight up in his chair when he heard Joey's voice call his wife's name. Rory smiled widely and stood up to greet the couple. Right now, the only person in view was Joey, the slight bump that was her stomach making her glow.

Rory hugged her closely. "Jo, look at you. You look _amazing._"

Jess had been dragged to this spot on the lawn also, so he rolled his eyes, waving. "Yup. Rory looked twice your size when she was 5 months along. 'Wasn't pleasant." That earned a shove from his wife.

"I don't look anything close to amazing." Although Joey said this, she blushed. "I mean, look at _you. _You are super-model skinny and don't even do exercise."

Rory shook her head. "Gilmore's don't do exercise."

Joey laughed. "We've been through that."

Jess let out a grunt. "Okay, are we done with the 'no, _you're _prettier' part of the greeting?"

"Yes, I'd like to know," Pacey interrupted, resting his chin on Joey's shoulder. "We all _clearly_ know who the winner is," he stated, gesturing towards himself.

"Oh, yes," Jess stated sarcastically. "You're obviously the beauty queen of the three."

"Jess, play nice," Rory scolded him.

Jess smirked. "Just a little playful banter between friends."

"Yes, and now that we're done completely mutilating this topic of conversation, I've got some news for you all." She gestured for them to sit down.

"Well, enlighten us," Rory told her, turning to glare at Jess before he had a chance to shoot out anything sarcastic. It was obvious Joey had something important to say, and she didn't want him ruining her moment.

She guessed he got the hint, because nothing came out of his mouth.

"In case there are some challenged people here, I am pregnant," Joey began, turning to smile at Pacey. Pacey patted her knee, signaling her to continue. "But, the change here is that I'm pregnant, with a little girl."

Rory squealed like any good friend would, and launched herself at Joey, wrapping her up in a strong hug. "Congratulations!" Rory cried. "Girls are _way_ better than boys."

"Oh, really?" Jess asked, smirking at Rory. "We'll just see about that later on."

"Please, you two are like a bunch of rabbits," Pacey cut in. "Spare my little virgin ears and store all of those sexual innuendos for the bedroom."

"_Pacey_!" Joey turned to him, a stern look on her face.

"But excuse me. If these two weren't so in touch with their sexuality-" He was interrupted by a small voice in the direction of Rory and Jess.

"Mommy, what's sexuality?"

Joey blushed. "Wonderful, Pace."

"Hey, who knew the kid was such a mental sponge," He told the group, turning to hide some laughter behind Joey's back.

"Honey," Rory began, turning to Jess for some help. "Sexuality is…Oh! Look, James. You're friends want you to play hide and seek with them," Rory told him. "Go be a good birthday boy and play with them. We'll talk about this later."

"But, Mommy! Daddy says if I hear a new word, and I don't know what it means, I should ask," he whined. "It's no fair if you don't tell me!"

"Hurry, they're counting without you," Rory warned him, giving him a little push towards the flock of toddlers.

Jess chuckled loudly, not even trying to hide the fact that he was amused.

"_You_," Rory turned angrily. "You see me there, belly up in front of my child-"

"Our," Jess corrected.

"Oh, no," she told him. "He's mine now, _only_ mine. I almost had to give him the talk, and he's not even in actual school yet!"

"It's Pacey's fault," Joey said quickly. "He _honestly_ didn't mean to make you fight, right Pace?" She turned to him, giving him an obviously fake smile.

"Yes, ma'am," Pacey agreed. He knew by now not to argue with Joey, especially in front of other people.

Rory didn't even acknowledge Pacey, turning again to Jess. "You're dealing with him when he asks again, and you _know_ he will."

"Only because you made the fatal mistake of telling him that you'll 'talk about it later'," Jess stressed with air quotes.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Frankly, yes," Jess smirked. "I could use some amusement today. I'm still a little grouchy from this morning's wake-up call."

"This is all because I wouldn't have sex with you, isn't it?" Rory inquired, completely forgetting they were in front of company.

"Again, without a doubt you're both in touch with your sexuality," Pace interrupted.

"Pacey!" Both Joey and Rory scolded him. Rory did it more because she realized what he said, and Joey because she was embarrassed.

A silence overtook the group, as the two wives were too busy being embarrassed (each for their own reason) and the men were to busy being awkwardly uncomfortable with the situation.

Finally, Pacey spoke. "Should I tell them the second piece of news?" he asked his wife quietly.

Jess looked up, obviously tired of sitting in silence. "Please do."

"Oh!" Joey smiled, remembering which news he was talking about. "Yeah. You guys are going to love this."

"An army of couples are going to invade the street."

"Huh?" Rory asked, confused.

"Yeah." Joey nodded. "At least four couples are going to move in all of those empty houses. Can you believe it? Those houses have been abandoned _forever_."

Rory widened her eyes. "You'd think honeymooners would choose something more…appropriate."

"The first couple moves in next week," Joey exclaimed, excited.

"And in what way does this news involve us?" Jess asked, both bored and self-centered.

"I thought we'd throw them a welcome party," Joey suggested. "Are you guys in?"

"Oh please. Where are we? Pleasantville?" Jess asked with a roll of his eyes.

Rory slapped his shoulder, and put on a pleasant smile, saying,

"I would, but I have a meeting with the principle of James's new school next Friday, and it would've been the only day I'm free."

"Great then, it'll be an intimate evening," Pacey muttered.

"Isn't it doctor recommended to stop a couple months into the pregnancy?" Jess added, sarcastic yet again.

"That is _so_ not what he meant, Jess," Joey stated.

"We sure didn't," Rory said under her breath.

Her comment earned a soft chuckle from Pacey, and a suggestive glance from Jess.


	2. A Bunch of Loonies

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews, everyone. Really. We were very nervous about putting this up because we thought, since it's such a strange concept, that it might be too hard for everyone to read. So, that's why we posted one of _this _story in every category of each couple, that way everyone can read it. Hopefully this will work out.

Also, everyone should know that this story is written by me, xmisundaztood and my other cousin (I'm not sure of her penname, but I'll be sure to put it up once I have it)

Once again, thanks for everyone who's reading and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

--

Chapter 2

_**A Bunch of Loonies**_

"Is that them?" Pacey asked for the thousandth time that morning, turning to glance at Joey.

"I'll tell you when it is, Pace," Joey told him. "God, you're acting worse than I am."

"_Excuse_ me, holier-than-thou Potter," he exclaimed, turning back to the television.

"Whitter," She corrected him, turning to watch the television along with him.

Joey heard the familiar hum of a car engine, and quickly turned towards the window rapidly.

"Is _that_ them?" Pacey asked again, indifferently.

Joey quickly gave him a stern look before turning back to the window. "The car _is_ slowing down," She told him quietly, almost to herself. "Pace, they're slowing down! Hurry, walk with me."

"The game isn't even halfway over," Pacey began. "You expect me to go greet some half-wit idiots in the middle of the street when the game isn't even _over_?"

"Half-wit idiots?" Joey questioned him, hands on her hips.

"Who else would move into those poor excuses for houses?" He challenged her.

"The entire block is made up of the same kind of house, Pace!" She yelled exasperatedly, hands thrown in the air in a form of surrender.

"Yes, but _those_ are probably filled with dead bodies and someone's great grandmother's ghost."

"Your imagination astounds me," Joey muttered, turning back to the window. "Damn it. I think this is the only time I've been upset to see Rory. It was _her_ car."

"Just calm yourself," He told her tiredly, starting blankly at the television screen. "You're getting worked up at the arrival of some idiotic people you don't even know."

"If you act like this tonight at the get together, I won't even hesitate to-" She was interrupted as Pacey stood up and wrapped his arms around her.

"To what?" He queried, eyebrows raised. "You don't even know if they're coming, and yet you still have the _audacity_ to threaten me. My, my. You haven't learned a thing, deary."

Joey rolled her eyes. "_Please._"

Pacey smiled widely and placed long kisses on her neck. She seemed to be enjoying it just fine, but at the sound of a 'beep' Joey wriggled away and looked out the window once again.

"Pacey! It's a _moving truck._ It's definitely them." With her eyes, she followed the truck as it made it's way down the street. It finally stopped in front of the third house on the right side of the street, one house away from the Mariano's house, as that one was the first house of the right side of the street. "It stopped! Get your shoes on."

But Pacey wasn't by her anymore. He was back on the couch, watching the T.V. "Commercial break's over. Not happening."

"You are _so_ coming with me," Joey demanded. "Right now. I want to be the first to greet them, and you're coming with me."

"Woman, you are not the domineering one in this relationship," He said, letting his eyes glance over to the television before turning back to her. "If anything, this marriage is run solely by my standards. I _am_ the man after all."

"You chauvinistic pig," She said, glaring at him. "I'm going to be housing the child _you_ put in me for the next four months. I will be giving birth to this child, through my birthing canal-"

"Okay, kiddies. Time to leave the house now before someone self destructs," He ushered her along through the hallway, closing the door behind them as they left the house.

"Who's the domineering one now, eh Pace?" Joey turned to give him a prize-winning smile before glancing at the moving truck with what she thought was a surreptitious look.

"I'm nervous," She admitted, giving Pacey a worried look.

"Jo, could you get more bi-polar?" He questioned her.

She ignored him, continuing her worried questioning. "What if they are the kind of people who _like_ haunted houses?"

"Well, we'll just have to skip that house when we go trick or treating," He said to her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Pacey," Joey muttered angrily. "You always have to take my minor thoughts into their literal meaning and amplify them to the extreme."

"Again, bi-polar," he said, as he backed away and led her by the waist towards the new house.

She slapped his shoulder as they neared the house, not wanting to say anything else that would lead into an argument, since they were already nearing the movers and the new house.

Joey stepped cautiously onto the driveway, peering at the furniture in the truck.

"They seem…_normal_," Joey whispered to Pacey.

Pacey just shook his head, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "Jo, do we really have to do this?"

"Do I have to remind you how I am the domineering one in this relationship?"

"How many times do I have to tell you that I am the man, and I bought the house, so I am the domineering one---"

"Birth canal!" Joey interrupted, ending the argument with that simple statement.

As they neared the moving truck, they saw a woman with short red hair and a man with long black hair stepping out of the truck and onto the sidewalk.

"There they are," Pacey started. "Well, now we've met them, so now we can go back to our peaceful serenity at home…. and the game!" Pacey finished rapidly, walking away from Joey's side.

"Come back here!" Joey shrieked, threateningly enough to get Pacey at her side once more, like an innocent puppy with a choke chain.

"Hi, you two must be the new couple moving in!" Joey said pleasantly to the man and woman.

"Bi-polar…" Pacey whispered, only loud enough for Joey to hear.

"Me no speak-e English! Me only speak-e Spanish!" the man with short black hair said worriedly, as if the couple were posing a life-threat to the poor man.

"No, no! We were just wondering---" Joey started panicking.

"Jorge! It's ok," the woman with short red hair said, stepping in. "I'm sorry about that. This is Jorge, and my name is Brianna. Jorge doesn't speak English. What is it that you were asking?"

"We were just wondering if you were the new couple that was moving in, " Joey said slowly and cautiously, as if she were speaking to a three-year- old having a tantrum.

"Sorry, no. We're actually just moving their furniture into their house. The actual couple is moving in later today," Brianna answered apologetically.

"Well, thanks anyways. Nice to meet you, Brianna," Pacey said, shaking her hand. "And, Jorge, take care of yourself, buddy," Pacey said to him, slapping Jorge on the shoulder sympathetically.

As they were walking back home, Pacey looked at Joey with an exaggerated and suggestive grin, while worming his arm around her waist.

"What?" Joey asked. Pacey raised his eyebrows suggestively in response.

"Don't tell me you think that what you did was considered a social-butterfly type of thing to do," Joey said with a smirk, waddling away from Pacey as fast as she could.

"Actually, that's exactly what I think. And, I'm also thinking that that's what makes me the domineering one in this relationship," Pacey added, keeping pace with her easily, and locking his arm around her waist yet again.

"I bet you also think that this arm of yours that's around my waist declares your domineering place in this relationship," Joey replied, a sarcastic look of agreement on her face.

"Right again, deary," Pacey said.

"I'll have you know---" Joey started.

"Sorry, but you'll have to let me know later, because the sweet serenity of the game is waiting for me." Pacey finished, running away before his off-balanced wife could catch him.

--

Joey yawned tiredly as she walked out of her kitchen, turning the light off behind her. As she walked through the hall to reach the stairs, she saw moving lights turn down the street towards what she thought was the house. As quickly as a pregnant woman could, she leaped up the stairs towards the master bedroom, slamming the door open.

"My god, could you be a little louder?' Grumbled Pacey, his head peering over his shoulder to face the doorway. "Are you having the baby?"

"No," said Joey, panting quietly from her run up the stairs. "It's just that-"

"If you're not having the baby, and you're obviously not dying, then by God, woman, what is wrong?"

"They're here!" She exclaimed, running over to grab Pacey by the hand. "The new couple finally moved in."

"Oh," he said quietly. "So, we should go right now to drop you off at the mental hospital?"

Joey pulled away from him and put her hands on her hips. "I want to give them a nice greeting that they'll remember. First impressions are always vital."

"My _sleep_ is vital." Pacey stood up and grabbed his wife by the waist, leading her to their bed. "And you need your sleep too. Did you completely forget that you're preggers?…bun in the oven?…baby in womb?…no, doesn't ring any bells?"

She rolled her eyes. "_Pacey. _We've been waiting for them all day. Please."

He looked at her, groaning. "Don't give me the lip. _Jo,"_ He whined softly. "Fine." Joey squealed joyfully, making her way with her husband in tow. "But if they weren't going to think that we're crazy when they met us _normally_, they're definitely going to think that we're crazy now," he mumbled.

"I don't understand why you have such a huge problem for warm welcomes," said Joey, dragging Pacey behind her as they walked down the sidewalk. "All I want is to be friendly. Is that too much for you to comprehend?"

Pacey nudged her, nodding his head towards the house. It seemed as if Joey's assumption was right. There were two bodies moving around in the shadows in front of the now sold house. As one of them moved underneath the garage spotlight, it turned on to reveal a woman bustling about.

"Are you sure this isn't another Spanish fugitive moving in more furniture?" Pacey asked her quietly, stopping her from completely stepping onto the property.

"Pace!" Joey squealed. She regretted it though, when she saw the woman turn around and peer into the street. She noticed both Pacey and Joey standing there, very obviously staring at them and the house.

The woman started to come forward, but was stopped by the man. The man started coming towards the pair.

"See, he knows how to take care of a woman," Joey whispered, before straightening up as the man came closer.

Pacey mumbled something to himself before bringing his attention back to the man.

"What are you two doing out so late?" The blonde asked them.

Pacey chuckled. "You see here, my wife was just dying to give you a warm welcome into the neighborhood. She just can't help herself sometimes."

The man let out a quiet sigh of relief.

"Well, I'm Joey," she said, holding out her hand to him. "Joey Whitter."

The man extended his hand, shaking it quickly. "Sawyer." He looked back at the woman, nodding towards the pair as a sign to come forward.

The brown haired woman walked towards the couple, extending her hand to Joey. "I'm Kate."

Joey turned to Pacey. "This is Pacey Whitter."

They shook hands with Pacey, before Joey spoke again. "Sorry that we spooked you. I guess I was a little _too_ eager to welcome you both."

Kate gave her a warm smile, looking kind. "That's alright. I was really excited to meet everyone here too. We didn't get in until an hour ago, so we figured that we could stop to get something to eat."

Sawyer just stood there, watching her talk. While Kate looked completely at ease with her explanation, Sawyer looked tense and shifty.

"My wife here, gets over-excited about new people moving in, because until now it's only been us and Rory and Jess," Pacey stated, gesturing to Joey.

At this declaration, Kate tensed. "Um, another couple?" She looked around the street. "That's great." Joey furrowed a brow at Kate's fake smile. She stuck closer to Pacey.

"Yeah, they have a little boy, James," Joey described to them. "They're really great."

Kate nodded. "I'll take your word for it."

Pacey nudged Joey awkwardly, signaling her that it was obviously time to leave.

But of course, Pacey noticed, Joey wouldn't leave until they knew about her now famous welcoming party.

"I was actually going to be holding a get together this Friday," She began explaining. "Would you both maybe want to stop by and meet the rest of the block?"

"She means the other family," Pacey interrupted. "There's not much to this block."

Kate looked towards Sawyer, silently asking for an answer. All she saw was him chuckling silently to himself. She nudged him discreetly, telling him into

Sawyer noticed and gave an open-ended answer. "We're still moving everything in t' the house," He explained.

"So we'll get back to you," Kate finished.

Joey nodded, pulling Pacey along with her back to their house.

"Did they seem…weird to you?" Kate asked Sawyer as they walked back towards their new home.

"You're tellin' me," said Sawyer, shutting off the garage light. "What a bunch of loonies."


	3. The Lollipop

Lost in Mystic Creek

Chapter 3

_**The Lollipop**_

"Sawyer, god _damn_ it," Kate muttered to herself, shoving another box out of the way. "Will you _please_ come unload the rest of the boxes?'

Sawyer sauntered down the stairs, glaring at her before picking up a box. "Didn't we hire some damn illegal Mexicans t' do this job?"

Kate completely ignored him, dragging another box with her. "Yes, we did. You're just such a freaking pack rat."

"Well, excuse me, Freckles," He said to her, picking up one of the last boxes. "I just pride m'self in holding sentimental value in _everything_ I own."

"We certainly could have done _without_ this bejeweled toe ring from the eighty's," She told him, throwing it into the wilderness of boxes and half unpacked suitcases.

"Ya never know," He whined. "From the looks of the welcoming we got last night, I'm willin' to bet we'll be forced into some Halloween festivities."

"And in your costume you'll be sporting a bedazzled toe ring?" She asked him, finding it again and holding it up for display. "If you are, you definitely need better taste in jewelry."

"Oh, well look at you, Freckles," Sawyer said in a singsong voice. "I'm glad that rock you're sportin' on your finger isn't up to your liking."

"Sawyer," Kate sighed, throwing the toe-ring at him. "Go lift some more boxes. You're looking a little flabby."

"Didn' hear ya' complainin' about it last night, darlin'," He raised his eyebrows suggestively.

Kate simply blushed, averting her attention to an un-opened box near a window, where she busied herself sorting through the random items it contained.

"We're not honestly going to sit down and have some sort of a pleasant dinner with that crazy couple, are we?" Kate called out to Sawyer, worry evident in her voice.

"Like anythin's gonna go wrong in this neighborhood," Sawyer said as he rummaged through some more boxes. "Could ya' have picked a more isolated place?"

Kate nodded. "You're the one who wanted to stay in the United States."

"There ain't notin' wrong wit' nationalism."

Kate rolled her eyes, chuckling to herself. "Just finish unpacking boxes, Sawyer."

--

Kate peered suspiciously at the rest of the houses as she dumped the last load of trash into the garbage bins that lined the sidewalk in front of their house. She definitely had an eerie feeling about this neighborhood, and it had started with that quirky couple that had paid them a visit last night. She could tell they were just a harmless twosome that had lived here most of their marriage, but the way they came to welcome them, almost as if they were waiting for their arrival, made her feel more suspicious than she already did about their new living situation.

Looking back at the house, she saw Sawyer inside rummaging through some of the last few things that they still had left to unpack. She smiled softly to herself, recent memories of their honeymoon flashing back to her. Their honeymoon really wasn't much, just a simple trip north to Canada for a weekend ski trip. It had been a sight really, watching Sawyer try and ski, in a place where she knew he felt completely out of his element. The minute they came back, they had arranged to move as soon as possible. Ever since the rescue from the island, she had been keeping a low profile, living mostly with Sawyer in the rural town he liked to call home. They were married not even a month after being rescued, and after the honeymoon they ended up here.

Deciding that Sawyer was all right by himself in the house, she walked along the sidewalk, taking in the neighborhood and all of the houses. As she walked farther along, which really wasn't much, seeing as the neighborhood was just a small cul-de-sac with a few houses, she saw a couple walking with their young kid. The kid was attempting to ride a small tricycle, but it seemed as if he didn't have too much leg power, because he wasn't going anywhere. Waking closer, the adults' conversation came into earshot, and she stopped to have a listen. It wouldn't hurt to find out how the couple acted when they thought nobody was looking.

"Jess," She said to what Kate assumed was Jess, "Who bought James this bicycle?"

Jess smirked. "Liz."

"Let's _not _send her a thank-you card."

They walked, locked hands, smiling at each other every once in a while. The kid was trailing along behind them, trying to catch up.

"_Mommy!_" What she assumed was James yelled.

"Yes?" Rory stopped walking, looking back at her child.

"This bicycle _sucks_," He giggled.

Rory sent a threatening look to her husband and kneeled down in front of the troubled toddler. "Did Daddy teach you that word?" He nodded, even after all of the signs Jess sent to the kid. "Don't say it, it's a _very, very _bad word and your Daddy is going on a time-out when we get home."

"Alright," James said, putting his small hands on his hips. "_But _then I get a loilipop."

Rory widened her eyes, "Why? You said a bad word."

"But I used the word Daddy showeded me and he said I would get a lollipop if I said it."

She turned to her husband, smacking his shoulder. "How can you corrupt a three-year-old like that?" She rolled her eyes. "You had to know James' mouth is too big to hold in a secret like that."

Jess placed a small kiss on her pouty lips, putting his arms around her waist. "I just wanted to have a good laugh," he chuckled.

Kate laughed along in her hiding spot, feeling much better about the neighborhood after witnessing the conversation. She kept on watching, entertained.

"Oh, we'll see who's laughing," Rory tried to be threatening, but it only made Jess smirk wider.

They resumed their walk, James now holding a lollipop.

Surprisingly to Kate, they stopped right in front of Kate and Sawyer's house. Rory pointed to it and said,

"Did you know we have new neighbors?" She clutched James' hand.

"Really?" James asked, wide eyed and excited. It made Kate smile. If only he knew what was inside. "That's so cool."

Jess rolled his eyes.

Rory smiled. "You wanna go say 'hi'?"

Kate's heart gave a leap. She wasn't even inside to greet them. Sawyer was alone inside.

Kate saw the boy nod eagerly, before taking a running start towards her new home. She tried to get up and walk through the back of her house, but the couple was standing directly in line with the back walkway.

So, she opted for the safer choice and stayed hidden in the bushes, so she wouldn't look suspicious to them.

The door opened after several rings, revealing a disgruntled looking Sawyer.

"Hello, I'm James," he introduced himself in a polite voice, and a wide smile gracing his face. "My mommy said you're the new neighbor."

"Is that so?" Sawyer said, sticking his head through the door to get a look at the couple standing on the sidewalk.

Both Rory and Jess waved to Sawyer, smiles also adoring their faces.

"Now, what brings ya here to m' house?" Sawyer asked James, bending down to his eye level.

Kate smiled from her spot behind the bushes, admiring the way Sawyer was trying to get along with the boy.

"Well, mommy always says that first impressions are real important," James said to Sawyer, taking a couple licks on his lollipop.

"Does she now?" Sawyer asked, his face showing just a hint of annoyance.

James's eyes lit up, his lips breaking out into a huge grin, as he thought of something. "If I give you a present, mister, will you be my friend?"

Sawyer chuckled softly before looking back up to James. "That all depends on what it is."

James's eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Sawyer assumed he was thinking of what to give him.

James spoke up a few seconds later. "Want my lollipop?" he asked, holding it out to Sawyer.

Sawyer sighed. The kid looked like he really wanted him to take it, but on the other hand, the thing was so wet and drooled on, he hardly thought it was sanitary to even look at it.

"Well, kiddo. Looks like you're in luck," he said to James. "The lady of the house just _loves_ lollipops."

The little boy took on a puzzled expression, not really knowing what Sawyer was talking about.

"Just give me the lollipop, and I'll pass it on to my _wife_," Sawyer said, almost in an adoring tone.

"Alright…" said James, trying to place the name of the man standing in front of him.

"I'm Sawyer," he said, ruffling up James's hair.

James giggled. "Are you brothers with Tom Sawyer?"

Sawyer looked almost shocked. He wondered how the young boy knew of the book at all. "No, I'm not," He told him.

"Alright," James nodded. "Bye, Mr. Sawyer," James called out as he walked towards his mother and father, waving as he went.

Sawyer smiled, nodding towards the couple, before walking back into the house.

--

Shortly after the couple left, which she now knew were called Rory and Jess, Kate walked into her new home. It was slightly furnished this time, but there were still several boxes placed haphazardly throughout the front hall and living room,

"Sawyer!" She called out to nowhere in particular, walking towards the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water. Water, some liquor, and bread were the only things they had in the house at the moment. Used to the sometimes-short supply of food from the island, the pair of them didn't really mind the lack of food.

"Yea?" Sawyer answered back. She heard thumps coming from the stair area before seeing Sawyer appear in the doorway of the kitchen.

"We've got some serious grocery shopping to do," Kate told him, displaying their empty refrigerator.

"I've got all the food you need," Sawyer smirked, holding up the still sopping wet lollipop.

"Where'd you get a hold of that?" Kate asked him, walking over to Sawyer. Her face was contorted in disgust as she surveyed the lollipop.

"Some little kid from down the street gave it t' me," He explained to her. "Claims that he'll be my best friend if I took it."

"Getting friendly with the neighbors, eh?" She smiled, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Did it all for you, Freckles," Sawyer said, holding the lollipop in front of her face. "How 'bout it?"

Kate swatted the candy away, grimacing as she did so. "Why'd you even take it?"

"Well, the kid offered ever-lasting friendship if I took it. How could I pass that up?"

Kate giggled, pressing her cheek to his chest. "Of course you wouldn't, you old softie."


	4. A Vampire's Touch

Lost in Mystic Creek

Chapter 4

_**A Vampire's Touch**_

Bella couldn't help but smile as she soared through the vast forest, running at in-human speed. And for once, not an off tree or twig could put her off balance, like the awful klutz she once was.

As her paradise continued to dawn on her, she glanced quickly to her left. There she saw Edward, running alongside her, but as always, slightly ahead of her. His long running strides were as graceful as hers, but without the awful unbalanced twitch she had as a beginner.

Without warning, the sun glided across the sky from the west to the east, as if she were watching a day go by fast-forwarded. With the darkness, her running strides became less graceful and more frantic, until she was thrashing and stomping through the trees as ungraceful as any human would.

Becoming panicked, she thrashed more through the trees. Shortly, her klutz origin returned as she fell to the muddy ground, felled by a mere twig.

As soon as she touched the ground, she was pulled up again like a rag doll by a freezing, almost paper-white hand.

"It's time," , the terrible leader of the infamous Voltouri, yelled maniacally. As she yelled helplessly, he slowly made his way to her bare neck, his teeth bared like a hunting lion.

But out of the corner of her eye, she saw Edward coming forth, yelling,

"Bella!"

---

"Bella!" Edward said gently, shaking her awake.

As she awoke from her dream--- that had quickly turned into a nightmare--- Bella was slightly disoriented. When she opened her eyes, she noticed that she and Edward had driven through the entire day, ending up at a little motel. Though it was small and in the middle of nowhere, it looked luxurious, and it's bright lights were comforting after her dream.

"Where are we?" she asked groggily.

"We're in Oregon," Edward responded. "I think we're somewhere near a town called Mystic Creek."

"I guess that's appropriate with our complicated background," Bella said, now fully awake.

"Please don't bring that up, now, Bella," Edward asked, pleadingly. As she looked at him, she noticed there were bags under his eyes, but more notice than usual. As habit, she glanced at his eyes, and noticed that they were pitch-black. The black could mean a lot of things--- more noticeably that he was in need of going hunting, to quench his desire to feed.

Edward got out of the car, shutting his door, and opening hers almost simultaneously. Hooking his arm through hers, he led her to the lobby of the hotel, as always quickly, but not impatiently.

"A room for two," Edward asked in his polite manner at the lobby desk.

As they went on to talk about the cost and other things, Bella gazed dreamingly around the lobby. It was set up to look like a cozy bed-and-breakfast, but with the odd concierge standing around, waiting for a job to appear.

"Bella?" Edward said tentatively, tugging on her arm slightly. "Our room's all set up.

Once upstairs and in the doorway of their room, the woman from the desk---who had led them up--- asked,

"Is that all?"

"Yes, thank you," Bella responded pleasantly as Edward walked into the room.

"Ok, have fun, young couple," the woman added under her breath, a smirk on her face, as she walked away.

Coming into the room, Bella saw that Edward had gotten comfortable on the bed. With open arms, he gestured for her to join him.

As she climbed onto the bed and into his arms, she wondered whether or not he felt any guilt or shame about what he had done. Luckily, his, in a way, infamous power to read minds couldn't tune into her mind.

She looked up at him, wishing she could peer into his mind quickly. She cast the thought quickly out of her head, though, feeling ashamed.

She must've look puzzled, since he smiled at her supposed distress. Then, he bent his head down, kissing her gently.

Although a small portion of her mind told her it was the wrong time to do so, she lost control, and kissed him back feverently. She brushed her fingers through his hair, desperate for him not to pull away.

Against her silent wishes, he pulled away anyways, his eyes flashing with anger as he pushed off the bed, thrashing a lamp down to the ground. In his anger, he stomped to the bathroom, and locked himself in.

Distressed once again, she swung her legs over the side of the bed, dropping her head into her hands, but only for a moment. She got up, somewhat reluctant, and walked over to the bathroom. Knocking on the door tentatively, she questioned,

"Edward?"

What she got in response was a small sound of glass breaking.

"Edward, please come out," she started again desperately. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean… I just didn't…"

At a loss for words, she stood there, both her hand and head pressed against the bathroom door, listening for any sort of response.

Very faintly, she heard him moving around the small bathroom. And, with a sigh of relief, she heard the lock click, with Edward coming out of the bathroom. He sighed heavily, and looked at her.

"Bella… That was very childish of me, but you know it wasn't your fault," he said quietly, a silent plead for forgiveness beyond belief shadowing his words.

"No, it was my fault…" Bella responded, even more quietly, not able to meet his eyes.

With a sigh, and one graceful gesture, he swept her off her feet, and carried her back to the bed.

"Bella, I'm so sorry… I didn't want to… you know how…" Edward babbled desperately.

She couldn't stand to see him in such a state. She knew that if he could cry, there would be tears brimming in his eyes. Gently and to the point, she said,

"You're hungry, Edward. It's been days since you've eaten. I can't blame you for that… I'm to blame…"

"Bella, you can't say that. I know I'm hungry, but that doesn't give an excuse to act that way towards you… Especially after what I did…" Edward responded quietly, looking into her eyes, looking for any emotion.

"Edward, I've already forgiven your outburst," she replied, laying her head on his cold chest. "And I could forgive you for your kidnapping scene if you would just tell me why you did it."

Without responding, he slid down from his place against the bedpost and laid his head against a pillow, bringing her with him. Once they were eye to eye, she could see that he was finally going to explain his reason for all of the desperate running.

"Let me start by telling you about all of the shame and guilt I feel for doing this. It's just…"

"Just what?" Bella asked, her eyes searching hungrily for an answering emotion in his face.

"There's just no way in this life that I could ever allow myself---or anyone for that matter--- turn you into a vampire. To me it would be like killing you right here--- it's taking your life away," Edward responded, turning away from her, as if ashamed to have admitted that.

"But it's going to happen to me anyway! The Voltouri will enforce it, and I rather it happen now than when I'm thirty!" Bella responded, spitting out the last word like it was a poison.

She got no response from him.

"Edward, please! Besides, that doesn't give me a reason to why you rushed us away from Washington and into this state!" Bella said, her anger causing her voice to rise.

"Carlisle was going to change you… he may be my father, in a way, but that doesn't give him a right to do such a thing against my will… and I couldn't let that happen, so now we're here…" Edward responded quietly, without turning to face her again.

"But it's my decision to be changed, Edward!" she screamed in frustration, but to no effect.

Noticing none of what she was saying was having a noticeable effect on him, she sat up, calming down. Once calm, she realized how much this argument must be affecting him, so she stopped any new argumentum thoughts from forming in her head. Instead, she lay back down on the bed, tapping Edward lightly on the shoulder.

He turned around slowly, looking into her eyes with such a sad expression; she couldn't help but feel terrible for all she had said.

Unable to stop herself, she sunk into his arms, placing her lips on his questioningly. He answered her by pulling her in closer, and kissing her back, in the wanting way that his vampire background forced him to.

As he pulled away, she was unwilling to stop, and pressed forward, despite his efforts to get away. Again he pushed away, and again she pressed forward.

Instead of pushing away gently again, he forced himself away roughly, and jumped off the bed. In a quiet rage, he tore at his hair, and ended up crouched in a ball on the floor, his head in his hand.

"Is this what you want to become, Bella? Some bloodthirsty monster that has to hide from the sun? Is that what you want?" Edward questioned angrily.

"Edward…" Bella said, too sorry to say anything to him.

"No, Bella. Answer my question," Edward said more forcefully, sitting close to her on the bed again. "Why would you want such a thing?"

"Like you said before, becoming a vampire would take my life away," she started after a moment of silence. "But you don't understand that by not allowing me to become a vampire like you, you're taking away my life."

Unable to think of any response suitable, he dropped his gaze, and sat quietly staring at his lap.

"That's what you have to learn Edward… you are my life," Bella said sincerely, looking into his eyes, and looking for the same passion that she had for him.

What she saw was the same passion, but masked by a stern gaze that was unwilling to allow anyone to crack the complicated code.


	5. Guests of Honor

Lost in Mystic Creek

Chapter 5

_**Guests of Honor**_

"Daddy! _No._" James Mariano wriggled out of his father's reach and ran down the hallway buck-naked. He ran and ran until he reached his parents' room where his mom was reading peacefully.

Rory closed her book and smiled at her son. "James? What are you doing here?" she started, and let her eyes travel down her son's body. "…naked!'

At that moment, Jess trailed in behind James. "Jesus. What the hell is wrong with _your _child?"

Rory laughed. "_My _child? Now he's my child? Where do you think he got the nakedness from, Mr. No-the-couch-is-fine-James-is-sleeping?"

"Daddy's making me take a _bath_," James whined, interrupting them.

She crawled towards James, to the end of the bed. "Honey, you know you have to take a bath every day, or else all of the other kids will think your _so _smelly and won't want to play with you."

The child shrugged, obviously not distressed. "Pete's a jerk anyways."

Rory giggled. "You're just full of new words, aren't you?"

"Uh-huh," he grinned, placing a wet, sloppy kiss on his mother's cheek.

Jess looked at the two, watching how James was winning over his mother easily. He saw his son nod happily and run out of the bedroom, slamming the door behind him. A couple of seconds later he could hear Little Einstein blasting through the house.

Rory patted the place on the bed next to her. "Come on. I told him to go watch T.V. And if he doesn't bother us, he doesn't have to shower."

Jess shook his head, sitting down next to his fiancé. "I'm telling you, _you're _the bad influence." He leaned against the bedpost, letting her crawl on top of him, placing her head on his chest. "But I could use the alone time with you, since all you do is work these days," he smirked. "_Busy girl._"

"Book reviews don't take that much of my time. It's you who's writing is taking a hold of every second of your free time." She widened her eyes, looking up at him with a large grin on her face.

Soon, Rory closed her eyes, letting herself listen to Jess's steady breathing. "You know, we haven't done this in a long time. Just sat, not stressing about something or other."

"Huh," he responded in a typical Jess answer. This only made her more content. After moments of just playing with her hair, he finally spoke: "I'm done."

She opened her eyes, puzzled. "You're what?"

Jess pulled away from her and sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I'm done…with the book. Finished. Finite. Ended. Complete." He put his head in his hands, swinging his legs over the bed.

Rory simply sat there, in awe. "The book. _The _book." She grabbed his shoulder and twisted him around, forcing him to look at her. "Did you call Matty?"

Matty was his agent, and he always pushed Jess to finish the book for the deadline more than needed.

"Yeah," He told her, exasperated. "Of course I called Matty." He rolled his eyes. "He was _ecstatic_," he said sarcastically.

"Jess!" She squealed, climbing off the bed and running to his side. She smiled so big that it was contagious. "Jess." She hit his shoulder, both hands on his stomach, not knowing what to do with herself.

"Uh-huh?" He asked her, smirking.

Rory sat on top of him, straddling him with both legs around his waist. "You never told me anything about finishing it. I thought you were not even close to finished."

"I lied," he stated completely at ease. Jess put both his arms around her waist. "You would've freaked out on me and started calling everyone, asking me if I wanted anything. Buying me things. Calling me in the middle of the day to ask me how things are going."

"I do that because I care about you, you jerk." She kissed him lightly over and over again.

He closed his eyes, leaning his forehead against her's. "Rory, _god, _I love you." He shook his head. "You honestly have no idea."

Rory kissed him again. "I think I have some idea." She bit her bottom lip. "I'm so proud of you, Jess. You blow me away every time." She let him draw her into another sweet kiss, never letting it deepen, but always putting the same amount of care into each kiss. "I love you."

"'Glad we agree on something."

--

"He's driving me crazy," Rory spoke into the phone. "He eats, I clean it up. He 'colors' and gets gross watercolors on my white rug, I clean it up. He spits up, I clean it up. It's exhausting."

"'Hope your not talking about Jess, Sweets," Lorelai replied good-naturedly. "Because me and Luke's relationship didn't go there until the fifth year," she snickered.

Rory dumped a bunch of meatballs from the floor to the garbage can. "Ha. Ha," she said dryly. "You're hilarious."

"James is a kid, kids make messes. Don't stress yourself out."

"He's three! Would it really be child labor if I made him clean up his own mess?"

Lorelai let out a chuckle. "Maybe. Hon, just relax. Take a spa day or something. I have to go, though. Michel's driving me nuts."

When Rory was about to let out a plea for her mother not to leave her, she heard the dial tone mocking her. She sighed loudly and slammed the phone against the receiver. Then, after she finished cleaning up, she walked over to James' room to make sure he was dead asleep. If he wasn't, he would surely get a piece of her mind.

Rory stomped down the hallway, opening the door to James' room. He was lying there, with 'Tom Sawyer' in his small hands, squinting at it madly.

"James?"

He jumped up at least three feet high, slamming the book closed. "Mommy." His face paled.

"What are you doing with 'Tom Sawyer'?"

"I was trying to read it," James replied, now knowing that he was not in trouble. "Mr. Sawyer next door _looks _like Tom Sawyer, but he said he wasn't his brother." He wrinkled his small forehead in frustration. "I'm trying to figure out the puzzle."

Rory rolled her eyes, sitting beside her son. "It's no puzzle. Mr. Sawyer next door is probably called Sawyer because his parents gave him that name, not because he's family of Tom Sawyer."

James sent her a glare. "Not. Possidible."

"_Possible_," His mother corrected, brushing his dark, black hair out of his face.

He giggled. "Possible," he repeated. James leaned back against his pillows, looking extremely comfortable. "Mommy, lay with me."

Rory smiled, curling up next to the toddler. "Are you having any luck reading it?"

James scrunched up his nose. "Nah."

"Would you like me to read it to you?"

As she got a positive response in the form of a nod from James, Rory made herself comfortable also, opening the book and finding a random paragraph.

About two minutes into the reading, James' eyes were drooping, but he still pulled on his mother's sleeves. "Where's Daddy?" He yawned.

"Uh," she paused, thinking of helping Jess get ready that morning. "He's in a very important meeting. Your Daddy is talking to some people that want to buy his book. He wrote a book, just like this one." She tapped the cover of 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'.

James' eyes opened wide. "Daddy wrote a _book_?"

"He never told you, huh?" Rory inquired, pulling him closer.

"Nope."

"Well, he'll be very happy to hear how proud you are of him." It was the truth, no matter how much Jess said that James annoyed him, he loved him and respected him to no end. She dropped a kiss on each of James' closed eyelids. "'Night, Babe."

He grinned. "I love you."

"Me too." She walked to the end of the room and flipped off the light switch.

--

Pacey walked through the front hall into the kitchen to find Joey munching on a brownie quietly, flipping through some magazine.

"Spending all my money, eh Jo?" He said to her, before smiling and dropping a kiss on her forehead.

"Of course," She smiled, closing the magazine. "So, you think that new couple is going to be all done moving in by the time we hold the party?"

"I would hope so," said Pacey, sitting down next to Joey. "You've only moved up the party date, oh... three times since the original date."

Joey slapped his shoulder lightly, frowning. "That was only for their benefit."

Pace shrugged. "To be honest, they didn't seem too eager."

Joey looked disheartened for a second. "It was late. They must have been exhausted."

"And are we hosting this shin dig alone, or are our trusty neighbors going to be helping out?" He asked.

Joey sighed. "I don't even know."

"Jo, I don't know how this pregnancy is affecting you, but in case you forgot, they live next door."

"Of course I know, Pace," She told him, shaking her head. "I just haven't had the time."

"Oh, your brownie binging and daily lounging must keep your schedule jam-packed."

Mid-bite, she threw the brownie back onto the plate. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm carrying another human inside of me. I do twice the work I normally have to do."

"Jo, I know," He began, looking at a loss for words. "Trust me, I was there when it happened."

"And these brownies, see them?" She asked him, holding one up to his face. "I baked these brownies, so Kate and Sawyer know what my cooking is like," Joey explained. "I don't want them worrying if I'm a good cook or not before they come on Friday."

"Jo, you _definitely_ did not bake those brownies," He smiled, taking a bite out of one of them. "You bought those at Marcel's down the street."

"How will _they_ know that?" She raised her eyebrows threateningly. "Don't ruin my fun, Whitter."

"Fine, but you're going alone," He told her. "It was bad enough looking like stalkers the other night. Now we're giving them brownies."

"It's a friendly gesture."

"What if they take us for serial killers, and think it's poisoned?" He challenged her. "They'll never get a taste of Marcel's baking."

She raised her eyebrows. "Remember, _my_ baking."

"You're deeply disturbed, Potter."

She flashed him a toothy grin, before grabbing the plate of brownies and standing up. She gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek, and proceeded to head out the door to Rory's house.

--

Rory walked quickly towards the door after hearing the doorbell ring. She opened the door to reveal Joey standing on the doorstep with a plate of brownies.

"Smells good," Rory greeted her, steeping aside to let her in.

"You know I didn't make them," She confessed. "Want one?"

Rory shook her head, motioning for her to place the plate on the kitchen table. "Who are they for?" Rory asked after sitting down.

"I was hoping to give them to Kate and Sawyer," Joey explained.

"And that is…?" Rory trailed off, not recognizing the names.

"The new couple across the street. I was hoping to give them another friendly gesture."

"Another?" Rory asked, laughing quietly. "Isn't the welcoming party enough?"

Joey shrugged, blushing. "I'm in a very maternal state of mind right now."

"Well, at least you didn't bake the brownies yourself," she told Joey. "Then I'd have to make sure you're alright."

"Oh, this is absolute fun for us. You know I enjoy this type of stuff, since it's been so long since I've met anyone new around here. Pacey isn't exactly one to take me out and meet new people." Joey rolled her eyes. "Sometimes I feel this is worse than being the girl across the creek."

Rory shook her head, not being able to imagine that being bad. "It must've been beautiful back home."

"Hey, from what you tell me about Stars Hollow, you lived in paradise too," Joey replied.

She looked at her friend with a smile. "I guess we're just two small town girls."

"Yup," Joey agreed, giggling.

So once they had enough of conversation, they headed out for Sawyer and Kate's home, ready to do whatever possible to convince the young couple to join them for their 'welcoming dinner', since Rory had agreed that she would try to make it.

Once they made it to the house's front step, Joey handed the brownies to Rory and fixed her hair a bit. But without even having to ring the doorbell, Kate (who Joey recognized but Rory hadn't met) rushed to the door, looking flushed and uneasy.

"Hey…" Kate trailed off, looking over each girl. "Joey?" She tried to confirm.

Joey nodded. "This is Rory, she lives a house away from you."

Rory offered her hand, in which Kate took and shook gladly. "I'm so glad to have met you. I saw your husband when my son came to say 'hi' to him, he was really nice. James can't stop talking about him."

Kate laughed. "I'm Kate. That was Sawyer."

Joey didn't seem to get along with the chitchat very well, because she went out to find what she came for. "I brought some brownies here as a peace offering. I know you and your husband must have thought us weird for greeting you so late at night."

"Oh, not at all," she lied, but took the brownies anyways. "Thanks. It's really nice of you."

"Well, like we offered the other night, it would really mean a lot to me and Pacey if you joined us at our house tomorrow night for dinner. A 'welcome to the neighborhood' dinner. Rory and Jess would be there with their son. It could help us to get to know each other," Joey pleaded. "Please."

All of a sudden, the T.V started blasting through the house.

"_Kate!_" A man's voice called from inside the house. "_Damn it!"_

Kate lost her color very quickly, as she bit her lip.

"…_witnesses say that fugitive Katherine Austen was seen last at a Motel in California, with a tall blonde man. They made a fast escape out the--"_

Kate's voice cut through the loud television sounds that came from inside the house. "Uh, yeah. We'd love to," She said suddenly. "See you tomorrow night."

Then, she slammed the door, leaving Joey and Rory out on their step. Kate ran to the living room, where Sawyer had already turned off the T.V and had his face in his hands.

He looked up when he sensed her in the room. "They tracked us from that damned security cop."

"We'll be fine… it was only California. They didn't say Oregon." Kate stated, although it was not what her gut was telling her. She sat down next to him, rubbing his back soothingly and pressing her cheek to his back. She let a few tears drop onto his T-Shirt. "We're safe here."


	6. The Welcome Party

Lost in Mystic Creek

Chapter 6

_**The Welcome Party**_

Kate flew down the stairs in a rush; going straight for the pile of unopened boxes in the corner of the living room. She was looking for the mate of the shoe she was holding in her hand. The fact that her shoes were separated only proved how haphazardly they had packed everything.

"Sawyer, are you sure we should even go to this thing?" Kate called up the stairs worriedly, ransacking the box for her other shoe.

"Just think of this as some form o' community service," He answered as he came down the stairs.

"Aren't you nice?" Kate laughed, closing one box and moving on to the other.

"You were the one who agreed t' the thing," he shot back, walking over to where she was standing. "What the hell are ya doin', anyways?"

"I can't find my other shoe," She complained; sitting on the floor now, ready to give up.

Sawyer smirked, buttoning up his plaid shirt in front of the mirror. "'Guess that's good enough a' reason to call the whole thing off, huh? Jus' call 'em and say ya can't find your shoe, it should go over nicely."

Kate sent him a glare. "Joey _was _really excited." She rolled her eyes, standing up with help from Sawyer. "You should see these girls. They all look like they belong in long dresses in a gala or something. The perfect housewives, ready to please their husbands in any way."

Sawyer looked down his wife's figure. She was wearing black jeans and a blue blouse. "Maybe I should get myself one o' those," he teased.

"Funny. Hilarious." Kate sighed, pulling her hair up in a half-up half-down manner and leaving it that way. Finally, she changed her shoes and was ready to go.

Sawyer trotted up and down the stairs quickly before following Kate out the door. It didn't take them long to reach Joey and Pacey's house, since they were right across the street.

When they knocked on the door, Kate grabbed Sawyer's hand suddenly, thinking it could help with their cover, but in the end finding extreme comfort in his warm hand touching her clammy one.

Pacey opened the door, an exasperated expression on his face. "You're finally here. Maybe that way Joey will find something to do with herself and stop nagging _me._"

Sawyer chuckled slightly and Kate smiled.

They entered the house and greeted Joey also. She looked extremely flushed and concerned. "Kate, I was hoping you would know something about roast beef. I don't think it's working out."

Sawyer seemed amused at this question, and Kate only nudged him with her elbow.

"I'll help what I can, but I'm not very kitchen friendly."

"Oh, thank _God_," Joey sighed, dragging Kate with her towards the kitchen. "I just wanted to make a good first impression, but I guess I tried too hard."

Kate just smiled, taking a look around the cozy kitchen. It looked…exactly like her kitchen at home. "Are all of the houses here exactly the same?" Kate asked Joey, who was busy trying to figure out what was wrong with the roast.

"Probably," she answered her, turning around to look at Kate, her face flushed with all of the rushing around she was doing. "But I've never been in all of them, so who knows?"

Kate nodded, walking over to the roast beef that was sitting on the counter, in a pool of its own juice. "Now, what exactly is wrong with this?"

Joey walked over and examined the roast. "That's the thing. _Nothing_ is wrong with it."

Kate gave her a puzzled look. "Then why are you so distressed?"

"Because something always goes wrong when I cook!" She cried desperately, throwing her oven mitts onto the counter. "It's like a bad omen if _nothing_ goes wrong."

Kate placed her hand on Joey's shoulder. "I'm sure everything is fine," She assured her. "We've got quite a crowd out there, I'll go get them situated at the table."

Joey seemed calmed by Kate's reassurance, and turned to finish up the dishes she was serving.

Kate walked into the living room, looking around at the crowd of people who were having conversations amongst themselves in the living room. She scanned the room for Sawyer, but he was sitting awkwardly next to a man with unruly black hair. She recognized the man from the other day as Jess, and noticed he wasn't really at all bothered by the fact that Sawyer wasn't saying anything to him.

Before she got a chance to walk over to Sawyer, the little boy she recognized as James, who was a strict replica of his father with the exception of his blue eyes, ran right into her. She leaned down to be at eye level with him, and saw the apologetic look on his face. 

"Hey, don't worry about it," She told him, ruffling up his hair.

"I'm sorry," James said, his eyes downcast.

Kate smiled at him. "You're the little boy who gave Sawyer your lollipop, right?"

The boy's eyes lit up, his face snapping up to meet Kate's. "Are you the lady of the house?"

Kate chuckled, glancing over at Sawyer. "Yes, I am."

"Was my lollipop yummy? 'Cause I thought it was real yummy," He said to her, nodding his head.

"I think Sawyer got to it before I had a chance," Kate explained to him. "But I bet it was good." James nodded in agreement before Kate spoke again. "Can you do me a favor and spread the word to everyone that dinner is served?"

James nodded eagerly before turning around to face the grownups. "FOOOOOOD!" James cried, weaving himself through the crowd. "FOOOOOD!" He yelled once again, before climbing up onto his chair at the table, situating himself with a fork in his hand.

The adults in the room all laughed, making their way over to the dinner table. Once everyone was situated, Joey walked out eagerly, rapidly walking towards the dinner table.

And then, as if in slow motion, Joey stumbled on the corner of the rug that was turned up, the plate of roast flying through the air and landing with a loud crash onto the floor.

Joey's face snapped up, her eyes landing on the roast. Before anyone even made a sound, Joey began crying hysterically. Her hands came up to hide her face, which was covered in tears and completely red.

"Wonderful," Pacey muttered, getting up from his spot at the head of the table and walking over to Joey. "Hey, Jo. Trust me, it's just roast."

Joey took her face out of her hands, her horrified face facing Pacey. "Just roast?" She asked him. Before Pacey got in a word of retort, Joey made a grunting noise before stomping up the stairs. The next thing the guests heard was the slamming of the master bedroom door, which rung through the whole house.

"Women," Jess murmured to himself, shaking his head.

That earned him a slap from Rory on his shoulder. "Comment to yourself, please. This is a very stressful time for her."

"You definitely were not like this when _you_ were pregnant," He shot back. "And I did comment to myself."

Rory rolled her eyes before following Kate up the stairs to Joey's bedroom.

Kate knocked on the door softly, while Rory called out behind her. "Jo?"

"I definitely told you it was a bad omen!" Joey yelled loudly from behind the door. The scream echoed throughout the house, reaching the guests at the dinner table downstairs.

Downstairs, James looked at his father proudly before muttering to himself, "Women."

Jess only smirked before turning his attention to Kate and Rory coming down the stairs, a telephone in Rory's hand.

"Who likes fried rice?" Kate asked, placing a Chinese food menu on the table for everyone to choose an item of their liking.

--

"So, you're doin' good with the girls," Sawyer commented, set on making some kind of conversation. They had been sitting in an awkward silence too long. "'Thought you didn' care for 'em."

Kate turned to face him and smiled pleasantly. "Um, I misjudged. They're nice." She thought of James. "Rory's kid is adorable."

"Oh yeah, little man is as cute as a button," Sawyer said sarcastically.

She nodded, not really in the mood to comment on his sarcasm.

From their place in seats next to the door, they heard the very loud doorbell ring. Kate stood up, ready to go open the door, but she was cut-off as James dashed in front of her, towards the door.

He opened the door with a toothy grin.

A guy in his 20's was at the doorstep, his hands full with bags of food. He had blonde hair and a shirt with a peace sign imprinted on it. He apparently did not notice that it was a little kid that had answered the door. "Forty-five," he said mundanely.

James looked deep in thought. "Um…I don't live in this house, but Mommy said I could open the door." He once again looked down at the food as if he was thinking of something quite seriously. "I'm hungry. Can I have the food, Mister?"

"Only if you give me the bucks, man," the guy replied.

James shrugged and began taking off his shirt, clearly he had misinterpreted the word 'bucks'. Kate luckily intervened in time, and pulled down his shirt.

"I'll take it from here, James." Kate looked up at the guy at the door. "Uh, I'll take this." She reached out and took the food, placing the bags down on the floor, behind her.

James immediately started ransacking through the bags, looking for something easy to eat.

At this moment, Joey walked over with a few bills in her hands. She placed it in the guy's hands. He grinned and started counting them. Joey took the food, leaving James empty handed, and walked back into the living room.

The guy finished counting and looked back at Kate's face, a puzzled expression in his eyes. "Dude, aren't you on T.V?"

It took Kate a minute to figure out what he was talking about, and she could feel Sawyer lean in to hear the conversation more clearly. "Um, I don't think so," she stuttered.

"Yeah, yeah! I think I saw your picture on the news!" He exclaimed, his eyes wide.

James's brows connected in confusion. "You're nuts, man. She's _the lady of the house_."

"No, no. Aren't you that fugitive girl?" He put his hands to his head, this information clearly being too much for him to handle. "Uh…if that's not you, dude, you should totally sue."

Kate panicked and closed the door quickly.

James laughed behind her. "What a butthead."

Sawyer got up as soon as James walked away, grabbing Kate's elbow and leading her into the kitchen.

"What the hell was that?" He asked her angrily, shutting the door behind him.

Kate shrugged, a distressed look taking over her face. "I just…I panicked."

"Panicked?" He reiterated. "There's no room t' panic, Kate. _Damn it."_

She looked up at him, remorse clearly evident in her eyes. "That's never happened before, Sawyer. What was I supposed to do?"

"I can think of a few things," Sawyer told her, taking a seat at the small table in the corner of the kitchen.

"Like what, Sawyer?" She snapped angrily, climbing onto the kitchen counter. "I'm a good liar, Sawyer, but damn it if I was supposed to come up with an entire new back story right there."

"That's besides the point, Kate. A simple, 'no you're a god damned _pothead_' would 'a been sufficient."

"What do you want from me?" She asked him, getting up from the counter and pacing the room. "You're treating me like a parole officer treats his criminals. We just got married for God's sakes."

"Kate, what if that guy wasn't half as stoned as he was?" He challenged her. "Or maybe if he had more than half a brain cell in his body, he probably would 'a recognized you!"

Kate sat down opposite Sawyer at the small table, her eyes slowly tearing up. "Sawyer, I froze. I'm _sorry_," She apologized, her voice pleading.

Sawyer sighed angrily. All of the anger and frustration he was showing at the moment, it was all for _her_. For his wife. And yet, she didn't get it yet.

"That damned security cop, he must a' tipped the news stations," He said to her, anger clear in his voice.

"Well, if you hadn't been so _keen_ on assaulting me behind that telephone pole, we might have been on the road by the time he came by."

"Excuse a guy for havin' needs."

"I'm not trying to blame you, but we might have escaped the cop if we hadn't stopped," She explained to him, rubbing her eyes.

"Don' give me no 'I'm not blamin' you' crap," He muttered to her, his eyes narrowing.

"If you hadn't wanted to stay in the states, we might have completely avoided this entire-" She stopped herself before saying something rude about the town, because Joey had walked in right at that moment.

"Is there something going on, guys?" She asked them sincerely, placing the tray of used plates into the sink. "We heard some loud yelling from outside."

Kate shook her head, more tears welling in her eyes. "I just…we're fine. Don't worry about it, Jo," She assured her.

"You don't seem too great," said Joey, walking over to Kate. "If you need to tell me somewhere else, you can. We can go up to my room or something," Joey offered, whispering so Sawyer wouldn't hear.

Sawyer got angry, turning to face Joey. "Damn it, she said we're _fine_," He told her, his voice louder than he intended.

Joey glared at him, her eyes narrowing before she disappeared through the kitchen door.

"We're leaving," Sawyer told her, grabbing her arm and dragging her towards the door. "We can't have the entire freak show findin' out."

Kate yanked her arm out of his grasp, stopping him before he went out into the living room. "Wipe that scowl off your face, or we're not leaving this room."

Sawyer glared at her. "And why would I do that?"

"Wouldn't want the freak show finding out, right?" She mocked him, walking through the doors.

They were met with a distressed Pacey.

Kate gave him a disheartened smile, before ducking out of his gaze and bringing Sawyer with her.

"Uh, guys," Pacey began, stopping them in their exit. "Seriously, Joey's day was already ruined with the roast. It'd do you real well if you didn't yell at her."

Kate turned to look at Sawyer, a stern expression on her face. "We were just leaving," she said to Pacey.

"Good," He answered. "Great actually," He finished, leading them towards the door. "Joey said she'll call you,_ Kate_."

Kate nodded in acknowledgement, before taking Sawyer's hand and leaving the party.


	7. Intuition

Lost in Mystic Creek

Chapter 7

_**Intuition**_

"What exactly are we looking for, Bella?" Edward asked, his patience thinning. Even the polite nature he developed during the course of over a century couldn't deal with shopping.

"Nothing specific, Edward. Just the normal furniture we need to actually live in that house we're moving to…" Bella replied absently, looking at the many different varieties of beds.

"Ok then. A bed, a couch, and a table with two chairs will do fine," Edward said.

"Well, then, why don't we get to finding them," Bella replied with a deep sigh.

"Wait here for a second, Bella," Edward said, suddenly rounding the corner of the aisle. "Don't move," he added quickly before completely disappearing.

While waiting for Edward to reappear, Bella started to daydream about what their new house would look like. Edward had said that it was in that strange town, Mystic Creek, but had given no hint as to what it looked like.

Her daydreams were quickly interrupted when a couple burst through the doors, in the midst of an argument that seemed to have been far from the beginning, but nowhere close to ending.

"What the bloody hell are we doing in a furniture store?!" the man yelled. He was tall with short blond hair, and his British accent was thick.

"Well, my sodding fiancé had the idiotic idea of moving us out of England and to the bloody states!" the woman retorted quickly. She was of average height, with an untamable mane of curly brown hair, her British accent also thick.

As the couple went on with their argument down another aisle, Edward returned with a triumphant smile on his face.

"It's all set, Bella. A bed, a couch, and a table with two chairs is going to be delivered to our new house later on this afternoon," he said pleased.

"Wait, how did you… what happened… what---" Bella babbled.

"Don't ask, and I won't tell," Edward said happily.

She smiled pleasantly in response.

Weaving his arm through hers, he led her out of the store and to their car. Luckily it was a cloudy day, so there was no issue with being social for him today.

---

"It's so… ordinary," Bella stated, slightly disappointed, walking across the threshold into their new home.

"What were you expecting? Coffins and secret passageways?" Edward retorted with a smirk.

"That would give it a few homey touches, don't you think?" Bella said, playing along.

Walking inside, she noticed that the house consisted of all of the necessary rooms--- a kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, and living room--- but nothing extra. The only relief was finally being in a single place without have to move every night.

"Edward… I have a question," Bella called to him from the living room.

"Yes?" he asked, suddenly at her side.

"Well, now we have the house, we have the furniture. What else is up your sleeve?" Bella asked, smiling.

Instead of saying something, he laughed softly, sweeping her up into his arms. Caressing her like a baby, he headed towards the coach, which was the only decorative item in the room.

"Well, I was thinking of treating you to a romantic dinner in this suburban city. Then, maybe we could find a little park to gaze at the stars together," Edward started, smiling. "A little romance, with a cheesy ending. How about it?"

"I think it sounds wonderful," Bella laughed.

"Of course it does," Edward replied, chuckling softly. "I just have to warn you that I doubt that there'll be any sort of romantic restaurant in 'Mystic Creek'," he mocked.

"I can forgive you for whatever cockroached-restaurant we go to if you do me a small favor," Bella pleaded randomly.

"Very funny, Bella. I'll forget you even brought that up," Edward replied, carrying her out of the house and towards the car.

"But Edward---" she whined babyishly from her place in Edward's arms.

"Bella please," Edward said sternly. "I know how you're feeling--- you already told me last night. If you really love me so much, you would drop the subject and move on."

_If you loved me so much you'd do that small favor for me, _Bella added to herself silently, but dropped the subject reluctantly.

---

"Marcel's… sounds fancy," Bella commented sarcastically, at least in a more pleasant mood.

"The best in town, I heard," Edward replied, slightly defensive.

"From who? We haven't met any neighbors, or anyone for that matter," Bella asked.

"Must I remind you once more of my secret little power?" Edward questioned smiling.

"Ahh, I see," Bella replied absently. Through the window of the restaurant, she thought she had seen a blond head and a frizzy mane of brown hair over the edge of a booth.

"Bella, are you coming?" Edward asked, holding the door open.

"Oh, yeah. I just thought… never mind," Bella responded, walking inside the restaurant.

Once they were seated, a polite waitress came over and asked,

"Hello, I'm Lisa. Can I take your order?"

"Oh, yes. Uh… what's the special of the day?" Bella asked, having no idea of what was on the menu.

"It's penne a la vodka with wine," the waitress replied pleasantly, answering to the gorgeous Edward rather than Bella.

"I'll have that, but with a coke please," Bella ordered, ignoring the waitress's intense gaze at Edward.

"I'll have the same, please," Edward said, not taking his eyes off of Bella.

"Ok, then, we'll have your order out as soon as possible," the waitress replied, writing it all down. With a pleasant smile aimed at Edward, she left them in peace.

"Hmmmm," Bella said as a way to start the conversation.

"What?" Edward inquired, smiling.

"Didn't you notice how the waitress couldn't find enough will power to keep her eyes off of you?" Bella asked, smiling.

"Not really," Edward replied honestly.

"Kind of reminds me of our first date together," Bella said, remembering that night.

"Oh, yes. The night that started it all," Edward responded with both a happy and frustrated tone, and a far-off look in his eyes.

"Here's your food. Enjoy," the waitress said, seeming to appear out of nowhere.

"Thank you," Edward answered, purposefully looking at the waitress, giving her a quick smile. She seemed very affected by it, as her cheeks turned beet red and she ran off to the kitchen almost instantly.

"I think you might've just caused her to have a stroke," Bella said laughing.

"Maybe I did," Edward laughed.

"Did you realize that all of the problems our first date caused could be solved with a small bite?" Bella inquired, biting her penne a la vodka for assistance.

"Bella, what will it take for you to stop that?" Edward asked, seeming tortured on the inside.

In response, Bella raised her eyebrows, glancing at her penne a la vodka with a wanting expression.

"Well, if that's all it'll take, I'll eat that peace of dirt willingly," Edward said sarcastically, taking a bite of Bella's dinner.

"You're hilarious Edward," Bella sighed. "And now that penne isn't looking too appetizing."

"Hey, you want to be a vampire, might as well picture that little dinner as a bear's furry neck," Edward replied, making her dinner less and less appetizing.

"Yes, I'm definitely done," Bella said, throwing her fork down enthusiastically.

"Then I guess we'll just have to move on to our little night at the park," Edward responded, stifling his laughter.

Smiling back, Bella got up, and headed out the door and towards the car.

As Edward went to follow, he couldn't help but notice how the thoughts of a certain British couple stood out against all others.

'…_wish I could just conjure myself a meal, these bloody muggles are taking half a century to serve us. A sodding house elf would be lovely, too. These muggle waiters are too full of themselves…"_

The thought of magic lying in more than just himself worried him beyond belief.

---

"Bella! No!" Edward screamed, at her assistance in one quick, graceful movement.

Just as Edward tried to pry Bella out of Aro's hold, and then his teeth hit her neck, and a burning like hell's fire filled Bella's entire body.

As Bella lay there withering in pain, Edward threw himself at the infamous leader of the Voltouri, forgetting his strength was no match for the more experienced vampire. With all his anger from him having done that to Bella, he thrashed at Aro, but only to have every one of his strikes blocked, Aro laughing cruelly.

Suddenly, the fight between Edward and Aro faded from Bella's sight, as she was transported back to the ballet room, where she lay there, blood spilling from a thousand wounds.

"I may have failed, but this experience will only be a fraction of what you'll face eventually," James, the tracking vampire that had nearly killed her, said, looking at her with a look of pure hunger.

Crying desperately, his words sank in, leaving an invisible scar in her brain.

"Don't listen to them. I'll help you, Bella," a strange woman with blond hair called to her from behind James. Although from a dream and a stranger, the woman's promise seemed as true as any she had ever heard.

"Bella!" she faintly heard Edward call, as she lay there tortured by her visions.

---

"Bella!"

Jerking awake and into a sitting position, Bella accidentally hit Edward. She was drenched in sweat from head to toe, her nightmare having terrified her.

"Bella! What's wrong?" Edward asked worriedly, holding her tightly around the waist, and pulling her into his lap.

While still recovering from her nightmare, she looked around her, noticing that she had fallen asleep while gazing at the stars.

"Bella?" Edward asked again.

Looking up into his worried face, she saw that Edward would be willing to help her through any type of situation that came her way.

With that in mind, she breathed out a shuddery breath, leaning against Edward's chest, finding more comfort there than she could anywhere else.

"Are you all right?" he questioned.

"I am now," Bella answered sincerely.


	8. You Are Now Entering Mystic Creek

Lost in Mystic Creek

Chapter 8

_**You Are Now Entering Mystic Creek**_

"Are you sure that was the turn?" Draco asked her, holding the map up to his face. "How the bloody hell do you read this thing?"

"It's upside down," Hermione sighed tiredly, running a hand through her hair. "And I'm almost positive that was the turn. At least, that's what the realtor told us."

"You're really going to pay attention to that half-witted bint?" He scowled, throwing the map onto the floor.

"Yes, because she's guaranteeing our safety," Hermione shot back angrily, putting her head in her hands as they were forced to stop due to rush hour traffic.

Draco let out an irritated sigh. "If it wasn't for my bloody father, we wouldn't even be here."

, this point sooner or later. Might as well deal with it now."

Draco nodded, reaching over to place his hand on her knee. "We'll be fine, I'm sure of it."

She smiled at him, before diverting her attention back to the road.

"Who knows," Draco began. "It might even be enjoyable."

"Oh, really?" She turned to give him a disbelieving look.

"Well, of course," He told her. "I have to make it fun, it was my idea in the first place."

Hermione laughed. "You are such an egotistical prat."

"That's just another reason why you're attracted to me."

"I'd like to believe differently, thanks," She replied, glancing at him quickly.

Draco smirked, leaning over to press a quick kiss to her temple before speaking again. "Really, though. I don't understand why we needed so much furniture."

Hermione sighed irritably. "Can't you stay loving for a few seconds at a time? At least until we arrive at the house?"

Draco chuckled, placing his hand on top of hers, which was perched on the shift in between them. "It's a simple question, Hermione."

"It's not a flat, like in London," She explained. "It's actually a lot bigger."

"Did we need so much furniture, though?" He asked again. "It's not as if it's as large as my father's mansion or something. I'm sure with this much furniture, we'd live comfortably in _that_ house."

"No matter how much furniture you buy me, I would _never_ live comfortably in that house."

He nodded in agreement, though he didn't say anything more on the subject. His father was a sore place for him, and Hermione knew it. Ever since Lucius had found out about Hermione and him being together, he had made it his mission to put a stop to it.

Obviously it hadn't worked, but only because they had made the decision to flee England. The only downside to moving in together was the fact that they couldn't use any magic whatsoever. Any type of magic used would give off their location to his father, and that's the last thing they wanted.

"Love, honestly. Do you have any clue where you're going?" He asked, glancing over to her. She was concentrated on the road, both her hands on the wheel as she checked every single sign that they passed.

"I've got a rough idea," She managed to get out before going quiet again, eyes focused on the road.

Draco sighed, fiddling with the window. He kept opening and closing it, bored out of his mind.

"Oh, for Merlin's _sake_," Hermione shrieked, closing the window and locking it. "Could you be any more immature?"

"Honestly? Yes," He told her. "But for you, love? Never."

Hermione reached over and slapped his knee, before bringing her hand back to the wheel.

Only a few minutes later, their car was pulled over onto the side of the road. Draco was rubbing Hermione's back, holding her hair back, while she bent over and…

Puked her brains out.

Apparently Hermione had forgotten to mention to Draco that she had motion sickness, and after the long car ride, it got to her.

Draco grimaced as Hermione heaved again, making the most unattractive sound. "I'm glad you didn't bother telling me this," He said over her shoulder. "We could have hired a driver or something."

Hermione stood up, leaning on the car. She reached through the open window and grabbed some tissues she had stored in the glove compartment. "That's just worse for me, actually. It's good that I drove."

"I'm out of answers, then," He stated, throwing his arms up in surrender.

After Hermione cleaned herself up, she stood with her head against the car.

"It must have been that foul muggle restaurant," He told her, walking over and placing his hand on her shoulder. "I have to say, the food wasn't particularly excellent."

Hermione shrugged, wrapping her arms around his waist. "I don't think it was the food, because you seem fine."

"I _am_ fine," He confirmed, leaning his chin on the top of her head.

"Exactly."

Draco sighed, leaning back and looking down at her face. "Are you well enough to drive, then?" He asked, placing a kiss on her forehead. "Because if you aren't, I'm almost positive I'll get us killed. We don't want that, now do we?"

Hermione chuckled. "Of course not," She smiled, leaning up to kiss him.

Draco held up his hand. "I'm not one to ever pass up this opportunity, but no, thank you."

Hermione pouted. "Not even in my time of need."

"Of course not," Draco said, kissing the tip of her nose before grabbing her hand, pulling them towards the car. He looked back when he felt Hermione's hand leave his, and inwardly groaned when he saw her bent over, heaving whatever was left inside of her.

"Am I that repulsive?" He asked her, walking over to stand by her side.

The only response he got was Hermione's back heaving before she continued with what she was doing.

Draco turned around when he heard the sound of a car engine. There was a gray SUV pulling up behind their car. When the car came to a stop, a woman with a brown head of hair came towards them, a worried expression on her face.

"Are you guys alright?" She asked Draco, coming to a stop in front of him.

Draco looked back at Hermione, unsure if he should talk to her. He saw Hermione slowly standing upright, grabbing a handful of tissues and cleaning herself up.

"Uh…," Draco scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "I think that's a debatable topic." His thick, English accent was completely evident in the conversation now, seeing as the woman was fully American.

The woman laughed, her blue eyes lighting up. "You don't sound like your from around here," She began, holding her hand out. "I'm Rory."

"Draco," He introduced himself, shaking her hand with a smirk plastered on his face. "That's my fiancé, Hermione. She's a bit busy, obviously."

Rory smiled. "My fiancé is in the car, also. Honestly, you guys would get along great."

Thankfully, before Draco got the chance to say anything rude or awkward, Hermione walked up, extending her hand to Rory.

"I'm Hermione," She smiled, leaning against Draco.

"Rory," she said back, smiling just as much as Hermione was. "Are you sure your alright?"

"I'm fine," She assured her. "Must have been some bad food at the restaurant."

"Told you," Draco muttered.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him before turning back to Rory. Before Hermione got the chance to respond, a beep sounded from the car Rory had emerged from.

Rory groaned, signaling for him to come over. The only response she got was another beep.

"It's alright, we have to get going as well," Hermione told her. "Hopefully we'll see you soon."

Rory nodded, waving at them both before turning around and heading towards the car.

Draco turned to Hermione. "Why don't we ask them for directions? They seem to be from around here."

"Draco, _no_," Hermione said through gritted teeth. "I've got it under control."

"Are you mentally unstable or something, love?" He said to her. "You just vomited your entire digestive system out in the span of two minutes. You _need_ directions."

Hermione huffed angrily as Draco turned and caught up to Rory's car, which hadn't left yet.

Rory lowered the window. "Yea?"

"Would you happen to know where Mystic Creek is?" Draco asked her quickly, almost looking ashamed. He rarely asked for directions.

Behind Rory, Draco noticed her fiancé roll his eyes.

"You're heading to Mystic Creek?" She squealed, her eyes lighting up.

Jess leaned towards the window. "You owe me," He told Draco. "You've got her started now."

Draco scowled, bringing his attention back to Rory. "Don't mind Jess, that's just the way he is," She explained to Draco.

He only nodded, waiting for her answer.

"You're actually really close, but you're heading the wrong way," she said.

Draco rolled his eyes, looking back at Hermione with a peeved look on his face.

"Head back up this road, and take your second left. There aren't too many streets to look for, so take your pick and you'll be wherever you have to be. We live there, actually."

"Brilliant," He told her, now feeling a bit happier because they had directions. "Maybe we'll see you around."

"Oh, we will," Jess said behind Rory. "It's not that big of a town."

Draco just nodded, giving the couple a smile before walking back to Hermione. "See, Hermione? Quick and painless."

Hermione merely smiled at him, before heading back to their car. "Let's get to our new home, then."

Once they were situated in the car, and Hermione headed onto the freeway, Draco turned to her and smirked.

"By the way, love, it's in the other direction."

--

They found the house quickly, and true to Jess's word, the town was as small as Malfoy Mansion's property.

"Honestly," Draco complained. "How do you manage to fit people in such a small area?"

"It's cozy," Hermione told him, smiling at the families walking up and down the sidewalks, some kids running around and chasing each other. "It'll be easier to get to know everyone, too."

"Why the bloody hell would we want to know _everyone_?" He asked angrily, looking around at their neighborhood. "The more people you know, the larger the possibility of people finding out your _private_ matters."

"Like we'd tell anyone about that."

"You're quite chatty, no matter how much you hate to admit it," He said, opening the trunk of their car and pulling out their suitcases. "And if you have a drink or two in your system, there's no stopping you."

"Like you're a perfect gentlemen when you're pissed off your ass," She said to Draco, grabbing her suitcase and dragging it towards the house.

"Well, of course love," He smirked, taking her suitcase from her and wheeling both of their suitcases through the doorway after the house.

Hermione smiled, always having a soft spot for him and his chivalry. No matter how much of a prat he was, he had manners and he made sure everyone knew.

As Hermione looked out at the neighborhood, she was startled as a small boy ran towards her, a toothy grin plastered all over his face.

The boy stopped in front of her, looking up at her with one eye closed from the sun's glare. "Are you the lady of the house?" He asked Hermione.

Hermione laughed quietly, squatting down to his eye level. "Who are you?" She asked the boy.

"I'm James," He introduced himself. "I'm trying to hide from the baby-sitter."

"Really, now?" Hermione laughed.

James leaned into Hermione's ear, cupping his hands around his mouth. "I think she's trying to sit on me," He whispered in her ear.

Hermione chuckled, leaning back to look at his face. "Who do you belong to?"

"My mommy," He stated simply. "And my daddy, but sometimes they fight about that."

Hermione turned around when she heard the front door open.

"Granger, making some new friends?" Draco called out to her, walking down the front steps and making his way towards her.

"Clearly," She replied, turning around and smiling at the little boy.

"Cindy's really scary," He said to Hermione, obviously worried. "Can I hide in your house?"

Hermione laughed and nodded, leading him into the house with Draco trailing behind them.


	9. A Small World

Lost in Mystic Creek

Chapter 9

_**A Small World**_

"…California, here we come…right back where we started from…"

Pacey heard Joey's singing all the way form up the stairs. He groaned, as he was trying to get some work done, and ran down the stairs. She was sitting in front of the T.V, sitting Indian-style with a bag of marshmallows in her lap.

There were a couple of blonde kids making out on screen.

"Are you kidding me?" Pacey asked, rubbing his eyes as if he was seeing things. "Losing maternity weight isn't as easy as Kate Hudson says." He reached down and took the marshmallows from his wife. "At least not for Joey Potter."

She widened her eyes, reaching for the marshmallows again. "Hey! I was eating that!" Joey stood up and waddled over to her husband. "And I'm not fat." She yanked the marshmallows from him and resumed in her position.

"Potter, I can hear the T.V from upstairs. Do you think that's fair when I'm trying to get some work done?" Pacey inquired. "I thought it was you who was complaining about baby shopping last week, but I guess I was seeing things."

Joey rolled her eyes. "I'm watching The O.C. Can you please leave me alone?" She snapped, obviously in a bad mood.

Since Pacey sensed this, he sat next to her and sighed. "Since when do you sit in front of a T.V all day and watch rich kids snob around? The Joey Potter I know is up and running even if a little rain pours down on her parade."

He wrapped an arm around her, trying to be soothing

She scooted down and out of his reach. "There's something fishy going on with Sawyer. I know it. I'm trying to figure it out."

"So that's why you're drowning in self-pity?"

"Shut it, Pacey, no one asked for your opinion," Joey exclaimed, setting her eyes on the screen once again. "The least you could do is help me figure it out. He might be hurting Kate for all we know. I don't like him at all, the way he was yelling at her."

Pacey sighed. "You mean _you. _You don't like the way he was yelling at _you _and now you're making a big deal about something that isn't there."

"I'm helping Kate," She replied, twirling a lock of hair around her finger. "She might be in trouble and--"

"So Super Jo is going out and saving the day?" Pacey asked, exasperated. "Sawyer and Kate can deal with their own problems. They don't need you butting in their business."

"You know what? If you're not going to help, please leave," she said, annoyed.

Pacey stood up, lifting his hands up in surrender.

Joey just let him leave, absentmindedly flipping the channels, every click of her thumb pressing down harder as her annoyance at Pacey grew even more. Then, something on the T.V caught her attention.

"_Here we are, Mark, discussing the fugitive alert. It surely has everyone around California spooked. She could be anywhere, and no one seems to have seen her for a while."_

"_Well, Jen, as you mention it, we know nothing about Katherine. She could be dead, for all we know…and for the man, we know nothing about him either, but if we find him, there will definitely be time for him to serve for harboring a wanted fugitive."_

Joey's eyes widened even more as Kate's picture came up on the screen. The picture was blurry, but it showed clearly what Joey was looking for. Katherine Austen (Kate) running, hand in hand, with Sawyer, and looking back at the camera.

Joey was in a state of awe for a couple of seconds. Then, it all sunk in. About two houses away, a fugitive and her husband were living peacefully, not knowing what to do with themselves.

"_PACEY!!!" _ She yelled like she had never yelled before.

He ran down the stairs, tripping just a bit, and ran into the room like he was on fire. "Just, relax. Remember what the doctor said, just breathe in and out. Whatever you do, Jo, _don't push._" Joey raised an eyebrow, but he was too far-gone. Pacey put his face in his hands. "Oh, what am I _doing_? I'm too young to be a father…"

"Pacey…" she spoke carefully. "I'm not having the baby." A huge sigh of relief came from her husband. "But it's great to know how you feel about the ordeal," Joey went on sarcastically, smirking.

"Then what the hell is wrong, woman?" He yelled, eyes wide.

Joey stood up, looking proud. "I found it. I found what is wrong with Kate and Sawyer."

Pacey rolled his eyes, preparing himself for what he thought was Joey's stupid revelation. "Uh-huh...let's hear it. They didn't throw out their garbage," he paused for dramatic effect. "they _recycled _it?"

"Kate's a _fugitive_," Joey said to him. "I _knew _it!"

Pacey groaned, turning around, ready to walk out of the room. "And they say this isn't one bad episode of Desperate Housewives."

--

Rory kissed Jess back eagerly, pulling back to remove her shirt. Jess took this opportunity to kiss her neck, tracing her shoulder blades with hot kisses. Rory smiled, kissing him full on the mouth again, and leading them to the bed.

"_Daddy! Mommy! The door!"_

Jess groaned and rolled off her. "Go, before I run out there and kill him." He traced her bellybutton with his finger. "Be quick please."

Rory sighed and stood up, reaching for her shirt. She slipped it on and walked out to the kitchen, where the screaming was coming from. James was sitting happily, eating the Macaroni and Cheese that Rory had left for him. Dinner was the only way that she got him to leave them alone.

"And why couldn't you have gotten the door?" Rory asked the toddler, hands on her hips.

James sighed, as if all the household duties were being dropped on him. "I was eating _dinner_, for pete's sake. Jesus," he hissed, rolling his eyes.

"Okay, okay," she held her hands up. "I'll get it."

She stepped down the stairs and opened the door quickly, remembering that Jess was waiting for her in the bedroom. Unfortunately, she saw that it was Joey. Getting out of having long talks with Joey was near to impossible.

Rory waved pleasantly. "Hey, Jo. What's up?"

"Um…can we go inside?" She leaned in. "I don't want this getting out."

Rory looked at her weirdly and let her in, stepping to the side. "Come in, then." They stepped into the kitchen where James was playing with his food. "Hey, Hon, give us a minute, okay?"

He rolled his eyes once again and stood up from his place at the table. "_Fine_." He stomped off angrily.

Joey laughed, sitting down where James was sitting. Rory sat across from her. The second James was out of sight, Joey got talking. "Okay, so, I was watching the news earlier today and _you will not guess what I saw._"

"What'd you see?" Rory inquired, not in the mood for guessing.

"Kate. Can you believe it?" She slammed her hand against the table.

"I'm not sure. What was she doing on the news?" Rory asked logically.

Joey grinned, this being the best part of her news. "Well, I saw her picture and they were _discussing _her." She leaned in once again, as if she was being listened to. "Kate's a _fugitive._"

Rory wasn't exactly sure how to react to this news. "She's a…um…"

"I was shocked. Can you believe it? She just moves in here like it's nothing. I knew there was something wrong with them the _second _they started fighting in the kitchen."

"But—I mean, she must have a reason," she replied rashly.

"She's running from the law, I think that's reason enough."

They sat in silence for a second. Rory put her head in her hands. "I can't believe this. This only happens in movies. I mean, what are we supposed to do? Is she dangerous? _God._"

Joey nodded, looking a bit pale. "The way she looked in the news…she's _really _wanted. I mean, maybe we should just call the police on her."

Rory thought about it, but thinking about Kate in jail made her sick after all the time she had spent with her. "But are you _sure_? I mean, she spent so much time with us and I don't think she tried to hurt us in any way."

"Rory, if we don't give her up then _we're _harboring a fugitive. The worse thing I've done against the law is throw a can of coke in the highway," Joey spoke worriedly.

She sighed. "I wish I just hadn't found out."

Joey bit her lip, knowing that this was her doing. "I'm sorry, Rory. I was the one who brought you into this. I should have just called the police or something." When she brought herself up, standing, Rory grabbed her arm and shook her head.

"No. Wait. I think we should maybe talk to them reasonably. I'm not one to go against the law, but I just…I'm not sure about all this." Rory nervously bit the inside of her mouth. "I have James to think about, too. He plays in this street and he thinks of them as his friend. What if they hurt him…or…God, it's too much to think about."

Joey nodded, putting her hand on top of Rory's. "Maybe we shouldn't think about her well-being. We haven't known her for long, and it won't be as hard doing this now then waiting until we're more attached to her."

Rory stood up, running a trembling hand through her hair. "Here, let's talk about this at another time…and if worse comes to worse, then maybe we can call the police. I need to discuss this with Jess first."

Joey gave her a sign of agreement and they walked down the stairs once again to the door. "That sounds fair, for us and for Kate also."

"Thanks for telling me, Jo. I'm happy that you included me," Rory replied, smiling only slightly.

Joey let herself out and waved goodbye to Rory, who ran back to the master bedroom instantly.

What she didn't know, though, was that James had overheard the deep conversation and was on his way out the door as soon as his mother was out of sight.

--

James ran angrily towards Kate and Sawyer's house, stopping just short of the door. He glared at the door before ringing the doorbell.

A few seconds later, Kate opened the door, revealing both her and Sawyer.

"You lied to me!" James accused, wagging a short finger at Kate.

Kate kneeled down, giggling quietly. "What about?" She asked him.

"You're not the lady of the house," He accused, his little face contorted in anger.

"Are ya sure?" Sawyer asked James, from behind Kate. "I don' see any other woman living with me."

James walked forward, taking a peek into the house. "Are you sure?" He said disbelievingly.

Kate nodded. "I'm positive."

"But the really nice newsman said that you're a…you're a fu-fugive?" He tried pronouncing the word, looking up into Kate's face for confirmation.

"A what?" Kate wondered, trying to make sure James didn't mispronounce the word she was thinking.

"A…a fugitive!" James said proudly, his eyes lighting up in happiness.

Kate's eyes widened, and behind her she felt Sawyer tense up.

"Well, you see," Kate began trying to explain, but Sawyer cut in.

"Little man, do your parents know where you are?" He asked James, looking down at him from his towering height.

James's face lost its happiness, looking down at his feet. "Not really."

Kate looked behind her at Sawyer, her brow furrowing in confusion. He didn't even acknowledge her.

"Son, don' ya think you should head home?" Sawyer asked again, insistent on having him leave.

James nodded sadly, rocking back and forth on his feet. "Yea…but…-"

Sawyer interrupted him. "No buts, mister. Head on home," He told him again. "An' buddy, let's keep this our lil' secret."

James only nodded, turning around and skipping in the direction of his house.

Kate got up from her position on the ground, facing Sawyer. She shut the door behind her.

"Way to scare the poor boy off," She muttered, taking a seat on the couch. No matter how much she didn't want to admit it, she knew what was coming.

"They're still playin' the damn alert, _Kate_," He spat angrily, taking a seat opposite her on the loveseat.

"I _know_," Kate sighed, putting her head in her hands. "I'm reminded of it every time I turn on that stupid television."

"_Well,_ we have t' do something 'bout it, because we won't be able t' stay here much longer if it keeps on playin'," He shot back to her, running a hand through his hair.

"_Damn it_, Sawyer," Kate cried angrily. "I know this. I know _all_ this. _You're_ not helping me by constantly remind me of my past and everything that I'm _still_ trying to deal with."

"Kate-" Sawyer tried, his voice sounding pleading.

She glared at him, a crestfallen look in her eyes, before stomping up the stairs angrily and slamming the door.

--

Draco sighed angrily, throwing the hammer onto the floor. "Why the bloody hell do these muggle contraptions come _unassembled_?"

Hermione looked away from the television, glancing at Draco, who was sitting on the ground, trying to figure out how to assemble their end tables for the living room.

"Let's be clear about one thing," Hermione began, lowering the volume on the television. "You know _exactly_ what that is, so don't blame it on muggles. Second off, you're the cheap wanker who didn't want to spend _any_ money on furniture. If it hadn't been for you, we could have shopped somewhere other than Ikea."

"About that," Draco said to her, getting up and walking over to the loveseat. "What kind of store makes you assemble your purchase?"

"Ikea does," She stated simply. "Now, I thought you wanted to be the man and put the table together yourself? Are you finally admitting defeat?"

Draco shrugged. "I _am_ putting the table together, all on my own. I just thought I'd consult you for your opinion on how I should go about doing that."

Hermione chuckled, peering over his shoulder. All she saw were the table parts scattered everywhere, a hammer thrown into the midst of the parts. "I think this should be your consequence for withholding money from your _fiancé_," She said to him, placing a kiss on his cheek. "Go on, get a move on. I'd like to have those finished soon."

Draco muttered something along the lines of 'cheap muggles' and 'bloody women' before taking a seat alongside all of the table parts.

"I'll have you know," He said from his seat on the ground. "That you're basically condoning my cheap quality. Now that I've seen how bad muggles can be, I'm giving them a run for their money."

Hermione snorted, turning back to the television. She heard him continue to fiddle with the parts, and happily turned up the volume of the television. "I wonder if the muggle news is as interesting as our very own Rita Skeeter," She said to Draco, flipping through the channels, searching for a news broadcasting station.

"Aha!" Hermione said happily, leaning back into the loveseat and watching the screen intently.

"…_back to our top story of the night. Almost all of America has heard of our very own airplane crash survivor and fugitive, Katherine Austen. She was last seen being chased by a security cop at a local motel in the suburbs of California. With her is an unidentified man, who seems to fit the role of Katherine's love interest, which we came to the conclusion to by their conjoined hands…" _

Hermione flipped the channel, landing on some cooking show. She left it there, lowering the volume. "There's nothing too interesting. Just some story on a fugitive from California."

"Wonderful," Draco muttered. "Isn't that nearby?"

Hermione nodded, walking over to their window. "No worries, though. I'm sure they haven't left the state."

"Bleeding hell!" Draco cried. Hermione turned around quickly, glancing over at Draco. He was nursing his thumb, muttering to himself quietly.

Hermione laughed to herself, turning back towards the window. She decided not to even acknowledge the fact that Draco was crying over a sore thumb. She was positive it was an exaggeration.

"Oh, Draco. Look," Hermione cooed, pointing out the window. James came bounding down the sidewalk, a far-off look on his face. Hermione smiled slightly as she felt Draco wrap his arms around her from behind.

"That's one intelligent bugger," Draco said to her, placing a kiss on her temple. "He comes and goes like he pleases. Must be one hell of package to deal with."

"You think people just _deal_ with children?" She asked, turning around in his arms.

"Not _deal_ with, to be exact," He stated, shrugging. "It's just a huge thing to take on."

"You don't want children then?" Hermione clarified, looking sort of put out.

"I'm a Malfoy," He told her, as if it was some sort of news to her. "I've got to have an heir and continue our lineage."

"Is that the only reason, then?" She looked up at him, eyebrows raised, as if demanding an answer. "Because it's that attitude that make children seem like something to _deal with_."

"I want children, Hermione," He said, with a sense of finality in his voice. "Specifically with you."

"Wonderful," She smiled, leaning up and placing a kiss on his lips. She pulled back slightly, looking back up at him. "Because I would _love_ a little one running around the house."

Draco just smirked, leaning down and engulfing her lips with his. Hermione deepened the kiss as she led him backwards, towards the direction of the stairs.

"Consummating the new house, eh love?" He smirked, leaning back down and pressing his lips against hers. His tongue slipped into her mouth, and she smiled against his lips as he lifted her off the ground and brought her up the stairs to their bedroom.

--

"Are you sure it's not burnt?" Bella asked, smirking, smelling a terrible mess from her place in the living room.

"Yes, Bella. It's not burnt!" Edward replied defensively.

"I believe you," Bella said sarcastically, turning the TV on, flipping to the news.

"What is so interesting about that contraption that you have to let it brainwash you?" Edward asked while bustling around the kitchen.

"You mean the TV?" Bella inquired.

"Yes, that brainwasher," Edward responded.

"I'm watching the news. Maybe something interesting is happening around 'Mystic Creek'," Bella said sarcastically.

"_Now on to our biggest news story. Fugitive Katherine Austen was last seen in California, accompanied by a tall, blond man. The pair has not been seen since California, but the alert is still going around the country, keeping everyone's eyes open and on the look out for the pair…"_

"Hey did you hear that? It's something interesting!" Bella yelled out to Edward.

"Yes, I did," Edward replied, suddenly at her side on the couch.

"Edward!" Bella screamed, feeling like she jumped ten feet into the air. Slapping him on the shoulder, she looked at him, waiting for an apology.

"Oh," Edward said, a look of sarcastic realization on his face. "I'm so terribly sorry."

Laughing at her softly, he wrapped his arms around her, taking her into his lap.

"Edward…" Bella said, laughing along with him, while still mesmerized by the intense look of love he gave her.

Smiling, he kissed her softly on the lips. With great difficulty, Bella resisted from over-doing the kiss, and waited patiently for more. Seeing her look of wanting, Edward rewarded her with a bigger, more passionate kiss.

Bella smiled, happy to have such a wonderful man in her life.

Slowly coming un-mesmerized, she noticed the terrible burning smell coming yet again from the kitchen.

"Edward, the food!" Bella yelled, scrambling out of his arms and running into the kitchen, only to be choked by a thick cloud of smoke.

While coughing profusely, she could hear Edward nearby, looking for something. Being able to stop breathing at will without dying must be a luxury once in a while.

To her relief, she heard the sound of a fire extinguisher, putting out the oven fire. Once it was out, he opened the window, letting out the cloud of smoke. After a moment, it was gone, but it left behind a layer of ash on everything in the room.

"So much for your romantic dinner," Bella said, starting to laugh.

"Well, I haven't cooked for over a century," he replied with a sigh.

"It's alright, I forgive you," Bella said happily, planting a light kiss on Edward's cheek.

In about ten minutes, Bella had a quick Mac-and-Cheese ready to eat, with candles to add the romance.

"Well, it wasn't what I had had in mind, but at least it's romantic, and there's food to eat," Edward said, gazing at Bella lovingly, and with a slightly hungry look.

Bella smiled at him, just as lovingly, chewing on her sticky Mac-and-Cheese.

Without warning, Edward got up, picking Bella up into his arms again, in one swift movement.

Ignoring Bella's whines of protest for her Mac-and-Cheese, he carried her up into the bedroom.

"You almost burn the house down, you force me to make my own dinner, and then you take me away from it?" Bella said with sarcastic shock.

"And yet, all the while you still love me," Edward responded, kissing her passionately.

"More than you love me," Bella said.

Edward smirked, and kissed her again. Then, he suddenly tucked her into bed, acting like Bella's mother.

"Time to sleep, Bella," Edward said with sudden authority.

"And whatever will you do while I'm sleeping?" Bella asked sarcastically.

"I enjoy watching you sleep, Bella. Go ahead and sleep," he said, kissing her again.

Smiling, and easily setting herself into Edward's chest, Bella fell asleep easily and quickly.

As soon as Edward was sure that Bella was asleep, he left the house as quietly as a mouse, the starving feeling he always got before a hunt bubbling up inside of him.

Closing the front door quietly, Edward walked out onto the sidewalk, looking for anyone nearby. To his annoyance, he saw a blonde man slightly older than him taking out the trash. He waited patiently for him to return into his house, so he could go through with his hunt.

But as he was walking inside, Edward realized that it was the same man from the restaurant.

_What a small world, _he thought quickly.


	10. The 'L' Word

Lost in Mystic Creek

Chapter 10

_**The 'L' Word**_

Spike rolled over onto his stomach. He felt extremely naked in that bare living room with no sheets or anything to cover himself with. If Buffy hadn't been so pushy, they would have waited for the furniture truck to get there and _then…_do whatever needed. But none of this had taken any of Buffy's energy, apparently, because she was up and searching in seconds. Spike raised an eyebrow at her naked body walking across the room.

"Ow!" She shrieked. "Did _not _know that that nail was there." Buffy jumped up and down.

"Nice view from down here, luv," Spike smirked, sitting up.

Buffy sent him a glare that was barely noticeable in the dark room. "Shut up. This is all your fault. _You _couldn't slow your horny ass down until we got in the house, 'had to start it all the way from the car."

Spike rolled his eyes and slipped on his boxers. "Yeah, right. You wish. Who was it that almost _broke _the new doorknob by opening it without a key?" He stood up, walking over to where she was, and wrapping his arms around her waist. "Now, I don't blame you for having needs, pet, but I honestly could've done without the bruising."

She ignored him and pulled away, exploring the house even more. "This place is extremely creepy."

"You picked it," He stated, completely at ease. He watched her struggle to put on her shorts and T-Shirt. "I would've been good with traveling all over Europe, fueling the fire, you know, the usual."

Buffy sighed, finally finding a way to slip on her shirt without falling down or putting it on backwards. "I need to settle down. You should be the number one person who knows that."

"Uh-huh," he said, putting his hands on her shoulders as a way to finally get her to stand still. He dropped a kiss on her temple and moved to find a way to his pants also.

By the time he was done getting changed, Buffy was upstairs.

"This bedroom is too small!" She yelled from their new room.

Spike smirked to himself. "You mean with all the activity that's going to be happening up there? Anything's going to be small."

Buffy stomped down the stairs only to find Spike looking out the window interestedly. "I just noticed, it's day out. How are you supposed to help out the movers?" She asked, tapping on his shoulder. He didn't budge, looking at something out the window that apparently interested him.

"I'm not. You've got enough slayer strength for the two of us, luv." He turned back to her and kissed her pouty lips. "Besides, unless you want to wake up to a big pile of dust in the morning, I don't think it's a good idea, me going out in the sunlight and all."

"Fine. We'll make them do all the work. But you're giving them a huge tip."

Spike looked at her with a non-believing look. "Is it my fault I'm a vamp, then? Call up Drusilla and make her pay."

By the time he finished his sentence, Buffy was in the kitchen. He could barely keep track of her. "Drusilla's dead," she said casually, walking back into the living room.

He put his hand to his chest, looking at her with wide eyes. "She's bloody _dead? _When in the hell were you planning on telling me this?"

"Oh," her green eyes squinted. "are you planning on crying her a river? 'Last time I heard you speak her name, I didn't think, with the tone in your voice, that you were still madly in love with her."

"When did this happen?" Spike asked, now interested. After all, he had spent decades with that vamp and at this moment, it seemed pretty big, since she was dead and all. "_Buffy_," he groaned, seeing as her attention wasn't on him, but on the ceiling. "What in the bleeding hell are you doing?"

"I'm checking out this ceiling…'looks like it's about to come down on us."

He rolled his eyes. "How'd you find this out?"

Buffy looked back at Spike and sighed. "You mean about Drusilla? Angel called and told me that she was unfortunately staked in Venice when she was drunk on her ass with some potential victim. 'Guess she waited too long and a slayer somewhere just…poof. Killed her." With a casual shrug of the shoulders, she smiled at him. "Look at you. You're freaking out."

"I'm not _freaking out_," he replied. "I mean…I'm just saying…after all of those years of close calls, she loses her undead life to some _slayer_? Yeah, 'knew her life was going downhill after she left me for that poor excuse of a demon."

Buffy widened her eyes. "Jealous much?"

"I'm not _jealous_."

"Uh-huh," she grinned, taking his hand and leading him to the dark kitchen. "Look at this! This is not workable! I mean, look at this counter…it looks like if I slam you against it _once_, it'll go down."

Spike blinked. "See how warped you are...'next time anyone asks, it's not my imagination." He smirked, though, and sat on the counter, right in front of her. "I love you and your warped soul, though."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Jeez. Can't we get through a morning without cliché lines please?"

"Say it," he said, grabbing her shoulders and pulling her into the space between his legs. "Come on…I know you want to say it. So, just say it."

"Spike…" She started.

"Come on. You'll feel better. Just _say it._" He brushed some locks of blonde hairs out of her eyes. "Buffy," he smiled. "I love you."

Buffy sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Iloveyou," she said quickly, squirming out of his grip and going to inspect the fridge. Spike just watched her with a goofy grin.

They had spent the entire day moving furniture around the house, and they were honestly exhausted by the end of the day. But, as nighttime was the only time that Spike could get out, they went for it and decided on a walk around the street.

"This won't work for when I patrol," Buffy complained. "There's no vampire slayage possibility. Not enough room to…kick butt."

"Okay." Spike sighed, squeezing her hand. "You've been picking at this place since we got here. How can you possibly hate this place so much?" He asked, honestly confused with her actions.

"I don't…_hate _it," Buffy said slowly. "It's just that I'm not getting great vibes from the place."

"Oh, _please_, luv," he replied, rolling his eyes. "One week in this three-person town and you'll fall head over heels with it. Don't worry 'bout the vibe."

"I guess so," she stated in a doubtful tone. "So, you actually _like _it?"

Spike grinned, looking around at the houses. They all looked exactly the same. "It's not bad. I could actually picture myself growing old here."

Buffy sent him a glare. "You don't grow old." Suddenly, just out of the corner of her eye, she saw a man and a woman heading towards them. Buffy instinctively got a hold of him and pulled him into a stray alley that was full of garbage cans.

"You're so cheesy," they heard a young woman's voice. "You know what, though? I like this better than the dinner."

"That's because I keep messing up on the dinners. I'm sorry, Bella."

Before Buffy got the chance to hear more of the conversation, she felt Spike's hand on her stomach. When she looked up at him, she saw him leaning down to kiss her. Taking the opportunity of some alone time, she captured him in a kiss and deepened it instantly, as always. They stood there for a while, just kissing and exploring each other in the dark, but it slowly grew later, and Buffy grew more tired.

"Oh my god," she said, as they walked down the street once again. "I feel like I could drop dead any minute."

"Please, don't. I've got something interesting planned out when we get home," he responded, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

Buffy slapped his shoulder, harder than she meant to. "Jeez. Can you be more of a guy?"

Spike chuckled. "Well, I hope so, since I'm a guy and all."

"_Damn it! _James Mariano, get your ass home _now!_"

They turned their heads to see whom it was that was making the noise. There was an average height man with black hair. He looked like he had just rolled out of bed, to be honest. And the person he was screaming at was just half a person, a small kid running around in Scooby-Doo pajamas in the front lawn.

Buffy widened her eyes, laughing slightly.

"Good luck, man," Spike muttered under his breath.

"Daddy! NOOOOO!!!" The kid yelled at the top of his lungs, running around fiercely through the yard. "The mooooonster! He's gonna get me!"

Buffy stopped Spike from walking on, still smiling at the kid. "He's adorable." Spike rolled his eyes. "Look at that," she said fondly.

At this point, another brown haired woman had come out of the same house and was trying to chase the little boy. The house across the street lit up and suddenly, another brown haired woman came out to help. They all looked extremely silly trying to catch the boy, but it only made Buffy smile even wider.

"Come on, pet," he told her, urging her to walk with him down the sidewalk and towards their house.

Buffy wrapped an arm around him, snuggling into him closer. "I'm happy we're here, Spike. I'm sorry if I've been Ms. Sour Puss all day long."

He kissed her hair. "I like you either way."

"That's good to know," she said as they walked into their new house.

Kate placed her sunglasses over her eyes and pulled her hair up, ready for her daily walk. She felt very exposed ever since James had come up to their house and called her a 'fugitive'. She closed her eyes, letting the steady hum of the breeze soothe her as she ran down the street. She had taken on the tradition of running every day to get some exercise in her daily routine, and because it did her good to be away from Sawyer just an hour out of the day. They would kill each other if she just sat there staring at him all day.

After a few minutes, she found herself growing tired. She doubled over, holding her stomach as her legs cramped up. She heard someone run up behind her.

She turned around, panting, and saw a blonde woman with sparkling green eyes looking at her in a state of concern.

"Hi?" Kate said, not meaning it to sound like a question.

The woman smiled and waved. "Are you okay over here?" Kate nodded, trying to look reassuring. "I mean, you sure didn't look it."

Kate shook her head, not being able to catch her breath. "Yeah…just a bit…you know…tired…"

"I'm Buffy," she extended her hand. "Do you live on this street? I just moved in."

Nodding her head at this information, Kate shook her hand. Suddenly, a part of her body told her to lie. _Lie your brains out, _her insides screamed. Everyone knew her name, and they knew all of it. She was a fugitive in the end. "I'm Jen. I live here too."

"Oh, it's great to meet you," Buffy said, looking earnest.

Kate stood up straight, her stomach fluttering with guilt. "Me too. 'Guess I'll see you around." Then she turned on her heel and started running, ignoring the steady ache in her legs and the horrible feeling in her gut.


	11. A Magical Lunch

Lost in Mystic Creek

Chapter 11

_**A Magical Lunch**_

"This was a good idea," Rory said to her fiancé, smiling brightly.

Jess barely acknowledged her, deeply immersed in his book. He only grunted her way and nodded slightly.

"Don't you think this was a good idea?" She asked, straightening up her yellow summer dress in the mirror. He only grunted once again. "Jess," she whined, sitting next to him. "Answer me."

He slammed his book closed and turned his head to face her. "Rory, come on. I have two seconds to read and you're ruining it."

"I am not. I just think you should be more interested in me than that stupid book," Rory complained, tapping its cover.

Jess raised an eyebrow. "Stupid book?" He asked, surprised that she would call a book stupid.

"_Yes. _It's a _stupid _book."

He sighed, kissing her only slightly. "It was a good idea, I already told you that. Now, let me _read_." Jess turned his attention back to his book, but just as he did, he heard the doorbell ring.

Rory grinned. "They're here!"

Jess slammed his book closed again, throwing it haphazardly onto the bed. "Wonderful," he muttered sarcastically, getting up slowly.

"Come _on_," She urged him. "Look a _bit_ more happy to see them."

"I'm ecstatic," Jess deadpanned, his face completely expressionless.

Rory chose to ignore him. "No wonder Joey loves these welcome parties," She said out loud, making her way down the stairs happily. She walked up to the door, opening it with a grin on her face.

"Hey," Rory greeted the couple standing at the door.

Hermione and Draco walked in, following Rory into the living room.

"The houses really _are_ exactly the same," Hermione commented, taking a seat on the loveseat next to Draco.

"Yea," Rory laughed. "On this street you don't really have much of a choice, except for the location."

Hermione nodded in agreement, linking her hand with Draco.

Rory opened her mouth, as if to say something, but she was interrupted.

"Faster, Daddy!" James squealed, smiling happily on his father's back.

Jess walked in, his son perched on his back. He smiled at the couple sitting together, before letting James down.

"Mommy, you invited my friends?" James asked excitedly, running over to Hermione and Draco.

Rory laughed, sitting down on the couch opposite the loveseat. "You know they're my friends, too."

James completely ignored his mother, squishing himself between Draco and Hermione. He swung his legs happily, looking back and forth between them. The smile on his face wouldn't disappear. "Are you guys here to play with me?"

"Well, we were actually thinking of having lunch," Hermione began explaining to him.

"We're quite starved, actually," Draco cut in, shooting James a smile.

James nodded, walking over to Rory and Jess, who were seated together. He climbed up onto his mother's lap, giving her an innocent smile.

"What are you up to?" Rory asked, giving him a quizzical look.

James smiled even wider. "Can we pretty please have cake for lunch?"

Rory's eyes widened, chuckling softly. She looked up at Hermione, who was smiling broadly. Draco had the hint of a smile on his face as he looked away from James.

"Cake? James, I was thinking more along the lines of some pasta salad, and some really yummy sandwiches…" Rory trailed off, looking at James for confirmation.

James grimaced before speaking. "Mommy, you said that cake was for celebrating!" James complained angrily, jumping up and down on her lap.

"Yes, cakes are usually for celebrating," Rory assured him, smoothing down his hair. She looked towards Jess for some help. Jess simply shrugged.

"My friends are here, we have to celebrate that!" James cried, jumping off her lap and running towards Draco.

Draco was caught completely off guard as James climbed onto his lap. Hermione giggled, leaning towards James on Draco's lap. "Darling, I'm pretty sure we can celebrate just as well with some pasta salad," Hermione told him, looking back towards Rory. Rory gave her a grateful smile, leaning towards Jess on the couch.

"But…cake is yummier," James said, feeling defeated. "You don't like cake?"

"She adores cake," Draco said to James, handing him off to Hermione. "In fact, lately, that's all she's been eating." He looked pointedly at Hermione. Hermione narrowed her eyes, glaring at him.

James looked up at Hermione, seeming a bit happier. "You like cake?"

"Love it," Hermione confirmed to him.

James hopped off of Hermione's lap, again making his way over to his mother. He stopped right in front of her, wagging his finger at her. "Mommy, haven't I taught you to make friends happy?"

Jess burst out laughing, no longer able to hold it in. On the other side of the room, Draco hid his laughter in Hermione's shoulder. Hermione couldn't help but giggle as she looked at Rory, who was also holding back a grin.

"Honestly, James. We're fine," Hermione assured him once again, giving him a smile.

"James," Rory muttered, standing up and taking him with her. "Seriously, you need a time-out or something…" Rory's voice trailed off as she walked down the hallway towards James's room.

Hermione leaned in towards Draco's ear. "He's adorable," Hermione whispered.

"Don't get any ideas," Draco whispered back, kissing her cheek.

Hermione giggled. "I already have the idea set in my head, and I don't think it's going away."

"Then push it to the back of your mind for now," Draco told her, pecking the tip of her nose lightly. "We're not even bloody married."

"Engaged," Hermione reminded him.

"My point exactly." He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer, placing a kiss on her temple.

Hermione brought her attention back to Jess. "James is adorable," She commented, giving him a smile.

Jess rolled his eyes. "Trust me, only when he wants to be."

She laughed lightly. "Most kids are like that."

"James brings it to a new level," Rory said as she came into the room, standing by Jess. "Now that James is all set, we can go eat."

James came bounding out of the room, his eyes bright. "Food, Mommy?" He asked her, clapping his hands together.

"None for you, cake lover," Jess told him, picking James up and hoisting him over his shoulder. "You let me know when a nice sandwich sounds good."

James sighed loudly, with an exaggerated eye roll. "Fine," He grumbled. "PB and J?" He asked Jess.

Hermione stood up alongside Draco, following Rory into the kitchen.

Rory sat down, looking at Hermione and Draco apologetically. "I'm sorry about James, he can be a handful sometimes."

Hermione shrugged, smiling at Rory. "Really, it's not a bother. He's adorable, actually."

Draco snorted. "She won't get tired of saying that," He assured Rory. "She gets giddy around children."

Rory laughed. "I can't imagine anyone that doesn't."

"You're looking at the one person who can," Hermione told her, pointing at Draco.

Rory nodded, before the three lapsed into silence. She broke it quickly. "So, are you both really from England?" Rory asked them both, looking honestly interested.

"That would explain the accents," Draco said to her with a skeptical look.

Rory blushed. "You never know these days, what with all of the speech therapy there is around."

Hermione nodded. "Purely British," She assured Rory.

"So you live in the same country as David Beckham?" Rory asked her enthusiastically, her eyes lighting up.

"Who?" Draco asked, a confused look on his face.

"He's not much of a football fan," Hermione cut in, pinching his knee underneath the table. "He prefers…other sports."

"I don't really have a preference for sports," Rory admitted. "Just the guys that play them."

When silence fell once again, she turned to give Draco a warning look. He almost said something that he would have regretted. She squeezed his knee again before looking towards the doorway of the kitchen, where Jess stood with James next to him.

"Mommy," James began, his voice soft and pleading. "I'm sorry. I eat sandwiches. Sandwiches are yummy."

Rory giggled quietly, opening her arms. "Not a problem, Sweetie." She hugged him before sending him off to his booster chair at the other side of the table, next to Jess. Feeding James became Jess's job once James became old enough to eat normal food.

"Food!" James squealed, grinning happily from his seat at the table.

The room laughed out loud as Rory began serving lunch.

--

James had made a mess eating his PB&J sandwich, dropping the jelly all over his shirt and smearing peanut butter all over his face. After a long time of Rory scolding the child, Rory took Jess's hand and brought James to take a bath after all the mess.

"I'm so sorry," Rory gave Hermione and Draco an apologetic look.

Hermione shook her head, waving her off.

"Honestly, I don't understand why they apologize so much," Draco complained to her once Rory, Jess, and James had left the room.

"They're just being polite," Hermione explained to him, smacking his arm lightly. "No harm in that."

"Bloody annoying if you ask me," Draco sighed tiredly, rubbing his hands over his face.

"Is there anything that pleases you?" Hermione asked him. She quickly regretted it after the look he gave her. "Don't answer that," She told him, holding up her hand to him.

"Now, is there a particular reason why we're here?" Draco continued pestering her. "We could have had lunch at our own house."

"We're making friends," said Hermione, an exasperated tone evident.

He rolled his eyes, giving an exaggerated sigh. "You've got plenty of friends," He told her. "I swear to Merlin, if you get anymore, all of England is doomed to loneliness."

Hermione snorted, shoving him lightly. "All of this harassment is supposed to be saved for the marriage, you know?"

"I was never any good at rules."

--

Rory scooped James out of the shower, handing him off to Jess. Jess wrapped him up in a towel, tousling his hair with the towel to dry it off.

"I can do it!" James cried, grabbing the towel from Jess's hands. "I'm a big boy, Daddy. _Duh_," He emphasized, giving his father a look.

Jess simply raised his hands in surrender, raising his eyebrows at James. James smiled proudly, rubbing the towel over his hair repeatedly.

"Woos," Rory muttered, grabbing James and finishing the drying process. "How about you be a big boy and dress yourself?" Rory asked James, giving him an excited look. "I bet you can do it better than Daddy."

"Daddy sucks," James said, giggling lightly.

"Traitor," Jess muttered, poking him in the shoulder.

"What did we say about that word?" Rory scolded James, giving him a stern look. "Only old people can say that. Are you old?" Rory asked.

"Am not!" James cried, grimacing. "Gross." Jess glared at him. "Cepts for Daddy, cause he's good looking."

"Such _lies_," Rory commented, a flabbergasted look on her face, smirking at Jess. "We all know its Mommy who's good looking, right, James?"

James nodded, giving Rory a sopping wet kiss on her cheek. "Because Mommy's the queen."

"And who am I?" Jess asked James, eyebrows raised.

"Mommy says you're her servant boy," James said proudly, beaming up at his father. " Because you please her."

Jess looked away from James, giving Rory an 'Oh really?' look.

Rory didn't acknowledge him. She turned her attention to James. "Go get changed. Indecent exposure is illegal."

"Fine," James grumbled, scurrying out of the bathroom.

"Huh," Jess said, picking up some littered bath toys.

"What?" Rory asked, giving him a bashful look.

"I please you, is that it?" He asked her, getting up and sauntering towards her. "I could think of several ways to please you right now."

"We don't have time," Rory murmured, making no effort to push him away.

"I'm glad to see your body agrees," said Jess, gesturing towards her hands, which were slowly making their way up his chest and around his neck.

Without waiting for a response, he engulfed her lips in a fiery kiss, shutting the door behind them with his foot.

--

Hermione looked up towards the doorway of the kitchen to see James standing there, arms crossed in front of him. "Wanna celebrate?" He asked the pair, walking towards the cabinets of the kitchen.

She looked towards Draco, her eyes pleading for help. He simply shrugged, earning a scowl from Hermione. "Honey, I'd rather wait for your parents."

"My parents are being yucky together, right now," James said indifferently, climbing up onto the counter. "They might make the cake yucky, and then you can't eat it," He explained his reasoning to them. "You want to eat it, right?"

Draco, oblivious to Hermione's obvious disapproval, gave James a nod. James's face lit up, and he turned towards the cabinets, grabbing a handful of plates.

And before any of them knew it, the pile of plates wobbled, falling in succession towards the ground. Each plate made a loud crash on the ground. James's eyes widened as he looked at the scattered glass littering the floor.

Draco immediately reacted, pulling out his wand and waving it towards the shattered pieces of glass. The glass moved together, forming together quickly, before flying over towards the counter and landing safely and quietly in a neat pile.

James's eyes stayed widened for a long, awkward few seconds, before uttering one word.

"_Awesome_."


	12. You are My Sunshine

Lost in Mystic Creek

Chapter 12

_**You are My Sunshine**_

"Thank you guys so much for doing this," Rory said, stepping forward to hug Joey. "God, I don't know what we would do without you."

"Hey, don't mention it, _really_," Joey stated, pulling away from her friend's tight embrace. "I have to practice as much as I can, with this one on the way." She patted her belly, smiling fondly. "And James is so cute. It's no problem."

Rory sat down on the couch behind her and pulled Joey down beside her. "Babysitting James can be a big pain, you know how he is."

"It's not your fault."

Rory scoffed, "Yeah. Say that a bit more convincingly please."

Joey giggled, but then paused when she thought of her last conversation with Rory. "Um…so, have we decided anything on the Kate front?"

Rory paled. "Right…god, I've been so busy with everything that I haven't even been the least bit worried that we have a _fugitive _on our street. And…" she paused, slowly taking a breath. "I even saw her the other day, rushing out of her house. I almost waved."

Joey sighed.

"What is wrong with me?" Rory whispered.

"Everything's been a teeny bit hectic around here," Joey reasoned. "Have you seen how many cars are on this street now? There seems to be a new couple moving in every day."

Rory laughed, forgetting about the Kate problem for a second. "I haven't seen any of the new ones out in daylight, except for the very rare occurrence of a car driving out of this place."

"So you haven't met any of them?"

"Just this one couple," she responded, furrowing a brow. "I invited them for lunch, and they just bailed randomly in the middle of it…'guess we scared them off."

Joey chuckled. "I can't believe that. You guys are pretty normal."

"Draco and Hermione," Rory said. "They're a bit weird themselves. James kept on going on about these plates…and about a wand of some sort…"

"Kids imagine things. Maybe that's what spooked them."

"Well, get used to James talking about it every single moment of the day," she laughed. "He can be pretty obsessive when he wants to be. I'm even thinking about walking over to their house and asking them about it."

Joey shook her head. "I'm sure it's nothing."

Rory nodded, closing her eyes for a moment. "So, what _are _we going to do about Kate?"

"What did Jess say?"

"He told me that she didn't seem dangerous." Rory crossed her arms over her chest. "But I think that it's just because he thinks she's--"

"Hot?" Joey stifled a laugh. "Pacey's practically drooling over her. I guess he has some kind of fugitive fantasy."

Rory laughed along with her friend. "Aren't you the least bit worried?"

"Oh, _please. _Like Kate would ever pay an ounce of attention to _Pacey._" Joey lifted her eyebrows. "I mean, have you _seen _Sawyer? I don't know, it's something about the accent."

Rory giggled.

"So…there _has_ been no ultimate decision?" Joey asked cautiously.

Suddenly, Rory sighed, putting her head in her hands. "I just feel like Kate is our friend."

"So maybe we could talk to her…you know, together. Help her out. Convince her to give herself up. Tell her it'll be way better for everyone here."

"I'm not sure it's going to work, but I'm willing to give it a try," Rory agreed.

So after their agreement, they made their way to the kitchen, where they had left their men. Pacey was sprawled out on the floor, and James was straddling his chest, his little hand wrapped around Pacey's neck.

Jess looked over at the women from his place, sitting on the counter, smoking a cigarette. "Out of hand game of twister."

"James," Rory said sternly, hands on hips. "Off of Pacey. _Now_."

"Leave them alone, they were having some unadulterated fun," Jess said sarcastically.

"Come on, Hon," she told James, lifting him up and handing him to Joey. She knelt down next to Pacey. "Sorry about that. Whatever that was," Rory stated confusedly, blushing slightly as Joey helped her husband up.

"It's okay," Pacey replied, limping slightly. "He's a...just a bit overzealous."

"To say the least." Rory tossed a quick look at her son, who was now in Joey's arms. Suddenly, a gust of smoke came to her, and she coughed. "Jesus, Jess." She walked over to him, took the cigarette out of his mouth, and tossed it into the sink. "Do you have no common courtesy?"

"Pacey said I could take a quick smoke. No big deal," Jess mumbled, rolling his eyes.

"Actually, I do find it a big deal," she fumed, biting her bottom lip. "And I'm willing to bet it's my opinion that counts." She grabbed him by the collar, forcing him to follow her out of the kitchen. "Thanks again, guys!" She yelled quickly.

Seconds later, a loud slam of the door was heard.

"Could they get more dysfunctional?" Pacey inquired, making a gesture towards where Rory and Jess made their exit.

"She's just stressed." Joey shrugged it off, looking at James at the moment. "Hey, James, what do you want to do today?"

His eyes lit up. "Play more twister please."

"Aw," she tussled his hair. "He's so polite."

"Mommy says that I have to say please after every sentence, just in case," James recited proudly. "It's okay, right?"

"More than okay. I love how you say 'please'. It's a very nice adjustment around here," Joey said, glaring at Pacey.

James giggled.

"Here, Pace." She smiled, passing James over to her husband. "You have just won the lottery. While I'm out, you get to hang out with the coolest kid in the world."

James bounced up and down in Pacey's arms. "Really? I'm the coolest kid in the world?"

"Of course," she laughed.

"Uh, _Jo_," Pacey interrupted. "I might have a slight problem with that…uh, situation. Something in the form of a very big football game."

Joey rolled her eyes.

James's pool blue eyes watered. "You don't wanna hang out with the coolest kid in the world, Lacey?"

"Pacey," he corrected absentmindedly. "And of course I want to hang out with you, Kid, but it's just that--"

"Buts are for butts," James said, giggling slightly.

Joey nodded, grabbing her purse. "You heard him. Buts are for butts," she repeated, kissing him on the cheek before making a quick and painless exit.

Pacey sighed, putting James down. "Anything _except _for twister," he groaned, rubbing his neck.

--

It was only noon, and Pacey was already the most tired out he had ever been in his life. Ever. After spending hours playing hide-and-go-seek in the house, (two broken lamps later) they decided it would be better to move their little play date outside, where nothing valuable could be damaged.

"Guess what?" James made conversation as he skipped down the sidewalk, a foot in front of Pacey.

"What?" He asked tiredly.

James turned to look at his babysitter, widening his eyes slightly. "Okay, Bacey, but you got to promise to keep it a big, huge secret."

"Pacey," he only said.

"Draco's a witch!" James exclaimed.

Pacey stopped short, looking at the child with a confused expression. "He's a…witch?" He only laughed. "First of all, witches don't exist…and second of all, male magic-makers are called warlocks. Trust me, I know."

"But, Bacey, I saw--"

"_Pacey_," he interrupted, exasperated.

"The plates got all broken and he fixed them."

Pacey sighed, deciding to go along with it as much as he could. "Who's Draco? You're imaginary dragon friend?"

"No, _dummy_," James replied, rolling his eyes. "He's the new neidbor."

"Neighbor," Pacey corrected. "Is he really? The new neighbor?"

James nodded, eager to finish his story. "I was gonna give them cake, because Hermione really really likes cake, and then it just…" he paused, leaving Pacey at suspense. "BAAAAAAAAAM!" He yelled loudly. "They slipped off the counter by demselves and then Draco made magic."

"Let me guess…Hermione is his wife?"

"I think so," James responded, scratching the back of his small head. "And he took out this stick that made magic and fixed the mess."

Pacey raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure that that was what really happened?"

"Yeaaaaaah!" James exclaimed, but then paused, looking down. "I mean…okay…maybe--"

"Draco isn't a warlock?"

He shook his head. "_No._ I made the plates go BAM. They didn't slip."

Pacey sighed, he would have to stop arguing with a three-year-old. It didn't look like he was going to fess up to the lying. "I'm having a hard time believing you, Kiddo. I mean, on the whole warlock thing."

"Fine," James drew out, grabbing Pacey's hand. "Then you can ask them yourself."

He dragged Pacey down the street and to Draco and Hermione's front lawn. Pacey took himself out of James's grasp and backed away from the lawn, clearly not liking the idea.

"James, we can't just _barge _into someone's home. They probably have things to do," Pacey reasoned. "Come on. Let's go back home…I'll even let you play twister."

James put his finger on his chin, thinking about his options. Twister or witches? "Err…" he mumbled, not completely sure. "But I really really wanted to show yooooooooou. It's sooo cool."

"I don't think it's such a great idea. I'm sure they want their privacy."

His eyebrows connected in confusion. "What's privacy?"

Pacey scratched the back of his neck, looking at the house. Despite himself, he wondered what was going on inside that house and if any inch of what James had told him was true. "It's when people don't want little kids butting into their business. They might want some alone time."

"Oh, don't be a stupid head! They'll be _so _happy to see me!" He, obviously, had made up his mind, since he marched to the door. He looked back at Pacey and urged him to come with him.

Pacey sighed heavily, and started walking through the lawn and to the doorway. One thing he didn't want was to leave the kid alone with two strangers. "James--," he started, but stopped after the child had pressed his thumb against the doorbell.

"Come _on!_" James yelled. "Drac-_o!_"

"See…their not home. Let's just go."

Then, the door swung open to reveal a frizzy haired woman on the other side of the doorway.

James's eyes widened and he suddenly threw himself on her, clinging to her leg. He looked up at Hermione and smiled, wide. "_Hermione! _It's so wonderful to see you," he said in his best grown-up voice. He stood up from his place on her leg and stepped back next to Pacey.

"It's good to see you too, James," she replied politely, bending down to kiss his cheek.

James blushed.

Pacey looked at the woman, who was now standing up, and extended his hand awkwardly. "I'm Pacey Whitter. I live on this street," he greeted her. "I'm James's official babysitter for the day."

Hermione chuckled. "Do you usually baby-sit him?" This was the first time Pacey noticed her thick British accent.

"Not usually. I'm a family friend," he explained.

Hermione nodded, looking down at James. She ruffled his hair in a loving way. "So what brings you down to this side of the street?" she asked James.

"I needed to show Pacey." James got on his tip-toes and looked into the house behind Hermione. "Is Draco home?"

Hermione now looked nervous, walking out to the front step and closing the door behind her. "He's not, actually. He—he went out to…buy something." James nodded slowly. "And, uh, show Pacey what?"

James motioned for Hermione to bend down again. She did as he wanted. He leaned in close to her ear. "He's a warlock," he whispered with a sudden eagerness.

Hermione jumped back, hitting her head on the door. She winced in pain, standing up and rubbing the back of her head. "I…I don't know what you're talking about."

Pacey spoke up. "James has this _idea _that your husband is a warlock… you know. Male witch."

She laughed nervously at the irony of it all. Pacey, the normal Joe, was explaining to _her, _Hermione Granger (top witch of her class) what a warlock was. "I…I think I know what a warlock is. It's just a bit—a bit _mad_, isn't it?" She laughed nervously once again, a shaky hand to her forehead.

Pacey cleared his throat. "Jeez. What kids think these days. It's more than a bit…uh…mad. It's…uhm, the maddest!" He blurted out, now very conscious of how odd this conversation was getting

Hermione nodded heartily, feeling that Pacey wasn't a real threat. "Yes."

"But, _Hermione_," James directed, narrowing his eyes at the woman.

"I'm sure what you saw was a…" Pacey started.

"Mistake," Hermione finished. "Draco is just a normal bloke with normal…abilities. Normal. Ridiculously normal, actually. _So _normal, in fact, that it's frightening."

"See, James," Pacey stated, patting the child on the head. "Everyone on this street is normal. Just like Mrs…" he cut himself off, not knowing her last name.

"_Miss _Granger," she provided.

"Just like Miss Granger says. Save fairy tales for the books." Pacey glanced at Hermione one last time before extending his hand again. "It was very nice to meet you, Miss Granger."

"Hermione," she sighed, not so tense anymore. "Call me Hermione. It was also nice to meet you, Pacey Whitter."

Pacey flashed her a smile and grabbed a struggling James, turning on his heel.

"But, but, but!" James yelled. "Hermione! Draco's a witch!"

But there was no Hermione to be seen, as she had run back into her house.

James finally managed to escape Pacey's grip. "This is not _fair. _Hermione was so mean, and you--"

"I, nothing. It wasn't fair for _her _to have a little kid questioning if her…whomever he is…is a warlock. James, you have to understand that people don't appreciate you _lying _to them," he lectured.

"I didn't lie!" James exclaimed, his arms over his small chest.

"You have to accept the fact that all that magical stuff _does not exist_. There are no monsters, no witches, no warlocks, no creepy crawlies. Dead people aren't out to get you at night! Vampires don't exist. The only bad thing out there is bad people. Just..." He inhaled. "_Bad _people."

Before Pacey could tell James that they were going back home, James had ran past him and down the street.

"Jesus!" Pacey yelled, jogging after the child.

But James was quick, and he escaped the adult's clutches every time he even got close. James sped into the nearest yard, running into the back of one of the houses and up the back stairs. He yelled loudly, banging his fists on the back door.

After just a few seconds, the door was answered by a tall man with dark hair. James pushed him aside and entered the house, pulling on the man's pants so he could close the door. "Come on! He's gonna get me!"

The man squinted at the child after closing the door. "Who?"

"_EEEEEEEVIL _Pacey!" He yelled at the man, a worried expression on his face. "He's gonna get me!"

The man raised an eyebrow. "Who? Do I know you?"

"No. But, you believe me, right? Someone _has _to!" James threw his hands up in the air, clearly infuriated. "Weird stuff does exist. I know it!"

"Weird stuff?" He asked in a state of bafflement.

"Like…monsters."

The man sighed, running a hand through his dark locks. "You mean…vampires." He quickly went into vamp mode, looking at the bewildered child cautiously.

James let out a scared scream and ran deeper into the house, quickly bumping into a female figure. "Ahhhhh! He's gonna get me! The vaaaaampire. It's evil. He and Pacey are going to _kiilll _me!"

The girl raised both of her eyebrows, tucking a lock of brown hair behind her ear. "Who…who are you?"

"James," he said quickly. "Now lift me up before the cold-blooded creature of the night comes!"

The girl complied, lifting him into her arms. "You sure know lots of big words, Mr. James." She bit her bottom lip. "I'm Bella. Please, please don't be scared."

James shook his head. "No. I'm not scareded of you. You're pretty."

Suddenly, the man that James was fearing came into the dimly lighted kitchen. "Uh, Bella—"

"Edward! Are you out of your _mind_?" Bella chastised. "The poor kid is scared out of his pants and you're in here looking like that!"

He came out of vampire mode and looked at Bella guiltily. "I honestly didn't mean to scare him, Bella."

"Well, you know better than showing him something like that to a little kid you just met!" She cried, holding on to James tighter than ever. Bella looked at James with a slightly worn-out expression. "Are you okay? My boyfriend didn't mean to scare you."

"Boyfriend?" He wrinkled his nose. "You kiss a vampire? That's sooo gross."

"Hey!" Edward complained.

"Has he ever bitten you by mistake?" James inquired, oddly fascinated by the whole situation.

Bella shook her head, putting the child down on the kitchen table. "I'm sure I would have noticed if he did. He'd be out on the street if he'd laid a finger on me." She smiled at James, brushing hair out of his eyes. "He's a good vampire. You have nothing to worry about."

"What if he hurts me?" He asked in a state of worry, shrinking away from Edward's view. "He looks mean."

"He's not," she replied quickly.

"I didn't think he would react this way," Edward jumped into the conversation. "He seemed to know something about it. I mean, he came talking to me about all types of stuff, some even worse than '_monsters_' like me." He finished, emphasizing "monsters" as if he himself was a vile person.

Bella looked at him with a disapproving look. "Talking about weird stuff and _seeing _weird stuff are two completely different things. What if he goes around telling everyone about this…this…_you._"

"I'm a thing now, that's it," Edward mumbled under his breath.

Bella took a step towards him. "No, you're not. But you are a vampire and that means that no matter how nice you are, you _will _scare small children."

"I saw Draco!" James piped in. "He's a warlock."

Edward rolled his eyes, but Bella looked at the kid in fascination. "Do those really exist? I've only heard of vampires and, well, werewolves."

James giggled. "Did you kiss the werewolf too?"

Edward turned to Bella. "Did you?"

They were interrupted when they heard a knock at the door for the second time that day. Bella left Edward and James in the kitchen and rushed to the door. She opened the door just to see a man with brown hair leaning against the doorway, looking troubled.

"I'm very sorry to bother you, but I've lost a kid. His name is James. He's annoyingly blunt and obnoxiously loud," Pacey described the kid, extremely out of breath from running around the street. "About an inch tall."

"He's taller than an inch," Bella laughed.

Pacey let out a breath of relief. "You have him?"

"Yeah. He's so cute." She opened the door wider, allowing him to enter the house. "You're the father, right?"

"Babysitter," he said as he followed the girl into the slightly dark house. "And let me tell you, _never again_."

She led him into the kitchen where both James and Edward were standing, rather awkwardly. "Uhm…Edward, this is James's babysitter." She pointed to Pacey.

"Pacey Whitter," he offered, but then looked at James with a menacing expression on his face. "James Mariano, you are in loads of trouble."

"No!" He ran to Bella. "I want to stay with Bella and her boyfriend."

"Oh, I'm sure your mom and dad will be _ecstatic _with the arrangement," Pacey said with a roll of his eyes.

Bella nodded in agreement. "James, you really should go with Mr. Whitter. I'm sure your parents would miss you back home." She gave him a small push towards Pacey. "I assure you that you can come and visit any time you like."

James looked up at Bella with his big blue puppy eyes. "You don't like me anymore?"

"I like you very much, James. But I think you'd like it much better if you went home with Pacey and then came to visit whenever you pleased. Really. I'll even cook you something," Bella said pleasantly.

James had made up his mind, apparently because he had moved to Pacey's side reluctantly. "Thank you for your hospitalily."

"Hospitality?" Bella laughed.

"Yeah." He grinned and went over to Bella. "I won't tell," he whispered, so only he could hear.

"Thanks. We appreciate it," she responded in an equally silent manner.

So Pacey and James were on their way home. Pacey didn't even bother lecturing him on going into strange people's house, confident that he wasn't going to listen even if he lectured him a thousand times. Besides, nobody could hurt James even if they wanted to. But James was as happy as ever, strolling beside him, smiling at everything.

"Hey, Pacey," he said. "Can we go visit Mr. Sawyer and the lady of the house?"

"Uh..." Pacey thought back to when Joey had told him that Kate was a fugitive. After James had ran into strangers' homes, he doubted he wanted to put James in any more danger than he brought on himself. "I don't think that's the best idea."

"Is that because they don't want to talk to me?" James asked, sad. "I don't want Mr. Sawyer to be mad at me."

"He's not," Pacey assured the kid. "I'm positive nobody could stay mad at you for more than a few minutes, anyway. And I'll prove it someday, I swear."

James simply giggled, his face looking excited once again. "Today was fun."

"That's exactly what your going to tell to your mom when she asks. 'Today was fun' and…we can _not _mention Bella."

"But Bella was so nice. Mommy probably wants to bake her a cake," said James eagerly. "I _love _cakes! Do you like cakes?"

Pacey chuckled. "More than you know."

Out of nowhere, James started jumping up and down, his attention clearly leaving Pacey. "Coooooool! A car with no windows!" He pointed to the street where a blue car with black windows was driving down the street. It stopped in front of the house next to Draco and Hermione. "I wanna see it!"

"It has windows," he tried to explain. "They're just black." Now, since Pacey was closer, he could see that the windows were _painted _black, they weren't tinted. "This street just gets weirder and weirder."

A blonde girl with two grocery bags emerged from the car, a determined look on her face. She started walking up her steps, but dropped half of one of the grocery bags on the third step. Her curse could be heard from where James and Pacey were standing.

"She needs help!" James shrieked, running across the street and to the blonde woman.

"_Never _again," Pacey repeated under his breath before running after him.

"Hi, lady!" James bellowed from his place in front of her car. His grin went from ear to ear as he walked over to the woman who looked like she was in great turmoil. "Hiii," he drew, looking at her shyly.

"Hello," the woman greeted, searching behind her to see who was responsible for him. "What's your name?"

"James." He sat next to her. "What are you doing?"

"Being a total klutz," she responded, her green eyes glittering with the rays of the sun. "What about you, where's your mommy and daddy?"

James shrugged. "I'm with Pacey. He's okay."

She laughed loud, looking behind him where Pacey was running up to the two. "I assume you're Pacey." She stood up from her place next to the groceries, and extended her hand. "I'm new here…in the street, I mean. I'm Buffy. I babble."

Pacey smiled good-naturedly. "I'm Pacey, the person responsible for this disruption."

Buffy shook her head, looking at the child who was still sitting. "He's sweet. And I'm sure he'd just _love _to give me a hand with these groceries." James nodded quickly and started to pick up the goods. Buffy chuckled as she moved to help him.

As soon as the stairs were cleared, they were just left standing in front of her door.

"Buffy…that's weird." James was struck by this odd name.

Buffy nodded, bending down so she could be at eye level with James. "My mom had a very painful sense of humor." He laughed, although Buffy was sure that he had no idea what she was talking about. "James is a very nice name."

"Yup," he agreed.

Pacey cleared his throat behind them. "James, I think we should split."

Before James could answer, a CRASH was heard from inside the house.

"_OH, BLOODY HELL!"_

Buffy sighed, running a hand through her blonde hair. She pointed a thumb towards the house. "It's my boyfriend…he's a bit uncanny. Would you like to meet him?" She guessed it wouldn't hurt to introduce them to Spike, at least so they didn't think she was rude.

James nodded, in a state of excitement that Pacey clearly could not understand.

They entered the house, Buffy walking a few paces in front of them.

"Spike?" She called through the house.

Another CRASH was heard as a response.

"Luv?" his voice was shakier than usual, and Buffy found herself slightly worried.

Buffy turned to Pacey and James. "If you would excuse me for one moment…" she told them, walking deeper into the house.

Pacey watched her go and then turned to James. "Are you happy now, evil spawn of Satan? Breaking and entering once again?"

"Huh?" he asked, clearly confused.

Then, they saw Buffy return, with a slightly taller male figure. James opened his eyes wide, saying the first thing that came to his mind. "Wooooah. What's wrong with his hair? It glooooooows."

Buffy stifled a laugh, and all Pacey could do was shove James lightly.

"Name's Spike," he said, a scowl standing prominently on his face. "Hey, lil' bugger, wanna guess how I got the name?"

"He got nothing," she covered for him quickly, pinching his bicep. "He jokes. A lot. Very inappropriately most of the time. He apologizes."

"What are you, my narrator?" Spike grumbled.

Pacey nodded and extended his hand for what seemed to be the fiftieth time that day. "I'm Pacey Whitter. Nice to meet you." The only difference was, that he didn't even acknowledge it.

Spike scoffed, glaring at Buffy.

James only looked at Spike's hair. "I want my hair like that."

"No you don't," Buffy said, already fearing that they might be a bad example for the growing child. "It's a bad, bad color. Spike just has nothing better to do."

"You're really boosting my self-esteem here, luv," Spike shot back.

She gave him her best shut-up-or-big-pointy-stake-comes-your-way look. "You don't have self-esteem," she said between her teeth.

"Do you guys hate each other?" James asked in wonderment.

Buffy looked at Spike and then back at James. "There's been quite a debate at times…" That earned a menacing glare from Spike. "But we're in love." This earned a raise of an eyebrow from Pacey.

"Why is your name Spike?" the kid asked.

"Because I used to--"

"Play with spikes when he was a toddler," Buffy interrupted. "He would just _love _to dig those things into the sand…box. Sandbox. Do you like the sandbox?"

James wrinkled his nose. "Sandbox is for babies."

"Right." She nodded nervously.

Pacey shifted on his feet, looking even more uncomfortable than Buffy. "So…James…have we had enough? I think your parents are going to be home soon, and you don't want them wondering where you are."

"But--"

"Plus I think you've bothered these nice people enough for one day," Pacey continued, set on leaving. Spike nodded slightly in agreement. "Come on…"

"We'll walk you out," Buffy offered, following Pacey and James to the door. "Thanks for coming by, James. I really enjoyed your company, me and Spike haven't had people over since we moved here."

"For a good reason," Spike muttered under his breath.

Pacey smiled politely at Buffy and started opening the door. James walked outside, but then turned to Spike one last time. "Hey, my friends would think your sooo cool. You wanna come out and play?" He asked, pointing his thumb towards the outside, and most importantly the sunlight.

Spike squinted from his place next to Buffy. "There are some technical problems with that…err, situation."

"Yeah, he's allergic. To the sun," Buffy finished lamely.

"My face blows up to twice its size," he agreed.

James furrowed a brow, taking Spike's hand. "That's nuts. Only for two seconds." Then, without any warning, he pulled Spike out the door and under the direct sunlight.

"Spike!" Buffy yelled, running out there as Spike started to sizzle.

"_OH, _BUGGER!" He boomed, running back into the house. Both of his arms were on fire. Buffy shrieked, running to the kitchen and returning with a fire extinguisher. After the fire was out, Buffy sighed tiredly, checking him for any bad burns.

"Are you okay?" She asked softly.

Spike looked at his arm. "I look like your soddin' toast in the morning, but I think I'll live."

Buffy laughed quietly, almost forgetting that they had an audience. A very awe-struck audience. She looked at Pacey, who seemed to be opening his mouth and then closing it repeatedly.

James was the first to speak, as always. "He…he was _on fire._"

"He's, uhm, easily flammable," Buffy finally said, shrugging lightly.


	13. Reasons

Lost in Mystic Creek

Chapter 13

_**Reasons**_

"I think I've got it!" A huddled figure said, bent towards the sidewalk. The creature leaned up, sniffing the air. "Somewhere in this direction." It pointed ahead of itself, looking back at the rest of the figures huddled in a mass underneath the cover of a shady tree. They were waiting for night to fall. It wouldn't do them any good at all to be walking around during the day.

"Are you sure?" Another creature asked, a disbelieving look on his face. "Last time we followed your lead, you lead us right to some place he had already left."

The creature shrugged off his comment, turning to the rest of the group. "I'm pretty sure its him," He told them. "Seriously, I couldn't mistake his pansy stench with anything."

"Yea," One of the others said. "William the Bloody is as menacing as a helpless baby."

"Wouldn't mind one of those right about now," Another voice popped up from within the crowd.

"Are we doing this or not?" A whiny voice asked from the crowd.

"Let's do this!" Screamed the leader, earning whooping and cheers from the group of creatures.

--

"I stink, don't I?" Bella asked, smelling her T-Shirt.

Edward pulled her closer, kissing her hair lightly. "You smell great," he replied. "You smell as beautiful as you always do."

Bella smiled and stretched beneath the covers of their king sized bed. "I smell like pizza sauce which is more than a little disgusting." She looked up at him, kissing his lips firmly. "You smell like cologne."

"Very manly cologne, right?" He laughed.

"I think it smells very manly. I mean, there's a reason they call it cologne, not perfume," she agreed.

"I should wear more perfume, shouldn't I? I mean, come on, if we go out and someone gets close to us, you'll smell like heaven and I'll smell like crap."

"Beautiful crap," Edward corrected.

"That doesn't make any sense."

Their very meaningful conversation was interrupted by a loud BAM outside of the house. Bella jumped, giving Edward a panicked look. "What was that?" She asked, sitting up and putting on her shoes. "I'll go down. You can stay here."

"Are you out of your mind?" Edward exclaimed, standing up before she even blinked twice. "Am I the helpless klutz here? You don't have any strength. You'll probably fall down the stairs before you get to the door."

"Then I'm coming with you," she decided. "You'll be my big, strong protector."

Edward rolled his eyes, as he and Bella made his way down the stairs. "As always…"

"Open up, Slayer!" They heard as they reached the downstairs area. Someone was banging at the door and were apparently looking for a slayer.

"Slayer? Are you a slayer too?" Bella inquired, obviously confused.

Edward sighed, running a hand through his perfect hair. He pursed his lips together, shaking his head. "No, Bella. I am not the vampire slayer."

"Vampire slayer?" She shrieked. "Do they want to kill you? Slay you? They can't kill you, Edward!"

"They're looking for the vampire slayer."

The banging continued. "Come on, Slayer! You can't hide for long!"

Edward vamped out, ready to face whomever they were. "Hide, Bella." She did as she was told after kissing him one last time. He was ready, his game face on. Seconds later, the door was broken down and many creatures of the night were seen. Vampires, demons, every kind of species stood outside, and now inside the house.

They threw random punches at Edward, which he ducked luckily. "Who the hell are you?"

A vampire stood forward, with the crowd of demons behind him. "We want the slayer, Vampire. Give us the slayer."

A very horn-ey looking demon came out from behind the head vampire. He looked very mad. "And Spike too. We want Spike!" The creatures cheered behind them, some of the demons even having torches.

Edward raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

"Don't play dumb, Vampire!"

"You have the wrong house." He threw a kick at the demon that was speaking and started punching as many of the creatures as he could, knocking some down. "Bella! A weapon please!"

Bella ran towards Edward and handed him a butcher knife. "Eww," she whispered once Edward started cutting heads and gutting the creatures. "I think I'm going to throw up."

"Little girl," a vampire approached. "You are not the slayer. I smell fear and weakness."

"He'll kill you!" She yelled at him, backing away. "Edward's strong!"

"Bella!" Edward boomed from his place near the doorway, as he was battling the head vampire now. "Don't hurt her!"

"Or you'll do what? Bite me?" The vampire snickered.

Edward rolled his eyes, staking the head vampire somewhere near the heart. He wasn't very successful. "I was thinking more like staking you." He threw the knife at the vampire, turning him into dust.

Bella's face brightened, realizing they weren't completely undefeatable. "Wow," she muttered to herself. But her expression darkened when two of the many demons grabbed her by the arms. "Leave…me…alone…" Kicking was useless, she knew, but it didn't stop her from doing it. "You—you---you ugly thing."

"Actually," the purple demon said. "You are incorrect, Ma'am. We're one of the more beautiful demonic creatures."

As the demons were holding her down, the head vampire approached. Bella looked behind him, where Edward was laying on the ground, the creatures were beating down on him where the rest of them were venturing upstairs.

"Hello, precious," the vampire said. "You smell good."

"There was a debate going on about that," she shot back. "Leave Edward alone!" She felt tears coming quickly. She wouldn't let herself cry in front of these…things. It would only make her situation worse. The vampire was only inches away, bending his head so he had a perfect position above her neck.

"No!" Bella cried out. "Please…" she begged, tears forming in her eyes. She never pictured this as the way that she would be turned. But, she knew that she wouldn't even be turned. He would suck her dry.

She yelped in pain when the head vampire's teeth sunk into her neck.

"Please…please…" she sobbed.

But suddenly, the creature that was biting down on her turned into nothing…into dust. "Are you alright?"

Edward's beaten face appeared behind the dusted figure. "Bella…" He killed both demons that were holding her down and then took her into his cold body. "Are you alright?" He repeated.

"I'm fine," she replied, wiping away tears. "It just hurt."

"Chief!" Another vampire ran down the stairs. He searched the chaotic room. "What happened to the chief?"

Edward let go of Bella, his game face looking fiercer than ever. "He's right here." He pointed to the big pile of dust at his feet. "What would you like to say to him?"

The vampire looked at the other creatures. "Let's go! The slayer's not here."

The group quickly dispersed, leaving Edward cradling Bella in the living room, surrounded by shattered glass and broken furniture.

"What the hell was that?" Bella asked Edward frantically, searching his face.

"Nothing of importance now," He muttered distractedly, standing up and sniffing the air. "I'll be back."

"Where are you going?" Bella asked him, trying to catch up with him, but failing as he ran full speed towards the bedroom. "Edward!" Bella cried, making her way quickly up the stairs. "_Edward!_" Bella yelled, finally stumbling into the bedroom.

All she saw was Edward desperately trying to put out the fire before the heat became too much for her.

--

"Did you hear that?" Buffy asked.

Spike grunted, closing his eyes and holding her even closer now. "Sleep is valuable, pet. I think we should both start to respect it." She was lying face down, on top of him. She drew circles on his stomach with her hand.

"It's not my fault that we haven't been getting sleep," she went on. "You don't _ever _get tired."

"Well, I'm tired now," Spike mumbled into her hair. "Turn the T.V off."

"Nope. I can't move. Too comfy." She smiled against his shoulder and wrapped her arms around him. "Are you _really _sleepy? Because we could--"

"Unless what follows that sentence is shag 'til the sun comes up, then I suggest you just go…to…sleep," he sighed.

Buffy rolled her eyes. "_Spike_. I'll do anything, just wake up."

Spike's face suddenly woke up 100 as he flipped them around so he was on top of her now. He smirked widely. "Well, then, let's get on it, shall we?" He started kissing her neck.

Buffy let out a squeal of surprise. "You're a pig, Spike," she giggled.

"That works much better with the scowl and look of loath on your face." Spike took off his shirt, letting himself fall onto Buffy's frame. "Don't wake me up if I fall asleep," he said with a raise of his eyebrows.

"Oh, I'll make sure that the word 'sleep' doesn't even cross your mind," Buffy retorted, kissing him fervently.

"You should know better than to--" He started, but never finished his sentence. Something had knocked the T.V down. "Uh…Luv…" he whispered, looking around. "Uhm…Buffy."

She turned her head to see what had been done to the T.V. Then, she heard something. "Spike. Window." She threw him off her (a bit more violently than she had intended) and ducked. "Don't get close."

Spike stayed on the couch. "Are you completely off your lid?"

"I don't understand how anyone knows what that's supposed to mean," she told him, crouching in front of him. "Someone threw something _through the window _and it knocked down the T.V. Whoever they are, they're still out there."

"Oh, bugger it to hell," He muttered to himself. "Can't a bloke get _anythin'_ he wants around here?"

"I seriously thought you were just-" She was interrupted as an arrow flew through the window and pinned Spike's shirt to the wall.

"Sodding demons don't have a coordinated bone in their bloody body," Spike grumbled, pulling at the arrow. He gave it a good yank, sending the arrow flying somewhere into the room.

"I don't think," Buffy panted, crawling towards the window, "that demons have bones," she said to herself, ducking underneath the window. "I'll have to ask Giles."

"Why don't you write that down on a post-it, luv," He told her sarcastically, making his way over to her. "Glad you have time to deviate from surviving to mental notes."

"Right, right," Buffy agreed, grabbing a shirt off the floor.

"Oh, no," Spike gasped, clawing at the shirt. "Not my best shirt. You're going to get demon goo all over it."

"Grow up," Buffy growled, grabbing a few weapons from underneath her bed. "It's show time."

Spike merely had the chance to shake his head before a vampire came flying through the window, a gang of demons close behind.

--

"Seriously, if we don't hurry, I'll miss the kickoff," Pacey complained, snaking his arm around Joey's waist and guiding her to the car. "I've got a betting pool on this game. Do you want me to go broke, woman?"

"You're gambling?" Joey asked in surprise, strapping on her seatbelt. "Seriously Pacey, do _you_ want us to go broke?"

"It's a social thing," he muttered to himself, keeping his eyes trained on the road.

"Until you get addicted!" She cried, crossing her arms over her chest angrily. "Do you really want our baby to grow up with _nothing_?"

"Au contraire," Pacey remarked, holding up his hand to silence her. "She'll have everything with the lucky streak I have going."

"And it's just that," Joey spat. "A lucky streak."

Pacey turned the car into the driveway. "It's been this way for a while," he attempted to explain himself. He parked the car, turning to face Joey.

"How long has this been going on?" She asked him, her face red with frustration. She unbuckled her seatbelt, opening the door. She got out, facing Pacey over the roof of the car. "_God_, Pacey. I didn't know you had that much of a social life."

"I'm glad you believe in me," he told her, slamming his door.

Joey followed, locking the car with a button on the door handle before shutting the door. She followed him towards the house, waddling as fast as she could. "Don't you dare have attitude with me. You know you're at wrong here."

"I'm sorry if I tried to earn some extra cash," he yelled, an exasperated tone in his voice. He walked up the front steps, reaching into his pocket to grab his keys.

He froze. It was empty.

He quickly checked his other pockets, frantically patting down his coat before he looked up at Joey, who was glaring at him angrily.

Off the look Pacey gave her, Joey lunged herself at Pacey.

Pacey thanked whoever was up there just then, now extremely aware of how pregnant Joey was.

She really waddled more than lunged, to be exact.

--

"Spike!" Buffy cried, throwing a stake towards him. "Behind you," She warned, turning around and decapitating a demon that tried to stab her from behind. "Bastard," She muttered, picking up a bloody weapon off the ground. She leaned down and wiped it off on the dead demon's shirt.

Buffy, seeing that Spike finished the last of the group that was currently in the house, peered out of the window. She saw a few of the creatures hidden in the branches of the tree in her yard. Looking around, she climbed out onto the ledge outside of her window.

Before she had time to take a better look, she was hauled up by her shirt collar towards the roof. Grabbing the arms that were holding her, she launched herself over the body, landing safely on her feet on the other side of the demon. "Is that all you've got?" She asked him, her body in a fighting stance.

"Always more for you, Slayer," the demon hissed, hooking his arm and slamming his fist into her face.

Buffy straightened out her jaw, stopping the next jab aimed for her stomach. "That one actually did hurt. And you'll pay," she explained, giving him a strong punch to the gut. She proceeded to punch him repeatedly in the face as she called out to nowhere in particular.

"Spike!" Buffy cried, looking around on the roof for him. "I'd really like some help. It'd be really appreciated."

"Spike?" The demon asked, straightening up. "Where is he?"

"Nowhere," she told him quickly, kicking him in the gut and sending him flying off the roof. She looked down to see his body sprawled in a completely impossible position.

"Oh, bloody wonderful," Spike yelled out to Buffy. "I was completely AWOL, and you give out my location?" He grumbled angrily, clambering onto the roof.

"Trust me," Buffy assured him, staking a vampire that had made its way onto the roof. "They knew we were moving before we did."

"We sure did," said one of the more ugly looking beasts. He was holding a torch in his hands, a clan of vampires behind him. Apparently, they had climbed up on the roof when Buffy had been distracted.

"Jeez," Buffy said, rolling her eyes. "How many are there of you?"

A short vampire stepped out behind the demon. "Fifty-two. We got signatures and everything."

Buffy laughed. "That's cute. 'Kill the Slayer Club'?" She scoffed, throwing a random piece of brick that was laying on the room at the vampire, successfully making him lose balance and fall off the roof. "Never heard that one before."

She ran towards them, fighting off every single one that stepped up to her. "Spike!" She said as she staked a vampire. "Care- **punch** –ful with **kick** the **punch **fire!" She yelled out.

"I got it, luv!" He responded, heading straight for the demon with the torch.

Buffy sighed. "He's a really crappy vampire."

Spike ran towards the demon, knocking the torch out of his hands, and then making signals for Buffy to throw the sword. She gladly did so, of course. He jammed the sword through the demon's neck, resulting in some very nasty demon goo.

"'Didn't hear your last sentence there, Slayer," Spike boosted, smirking.

She laughed as an enormous demon picked Spike up and slammed him down. "Crappy. Vampire." She went over to the big demon and kicked him on the hip, hoping to send him toppling over. No such luck. The demon took her by the leg and sent her flying across the roof.

"Buffy," Spike grunted from his place, lying down on the roof.

Buffy was sent toppling over the roof, holding on to the rim just barely. "Spike! I would really appreciate some help here!"

As Spike was about to stand up, the same demon stomped over, making the roof shake quite a bit, and lifted him up in the air. "Ahhhhhh!" Spike yelled at the top of his lungs, holding on to the demon's horns for dear life.

"Spike!" He heard from the other side of the roof. Buffy, somehow, had climbed back onto the roof. "Let go of him! Put him down!" She screamed at the demon.

"Okie-dokie," the demon said in a deep voice. He slammed Spike down onto the roof, making the roof give out.

"Spike!" Buffy ran over to him, but it was too late. He went through the roof. "Now look what you've done! My roof!" She kicked the demon again, but harder this time, making him fall down. Then, she took his big neck and twisted it, resulting in his very timely death.

"Thanks for that, but could you help me out here, darling?" She heard Spike's voice and turned around. The bottom part of his body was through the roof and in the house, and the top part was still over the roof. He was holding on with both his arms, spreading them out so he couldn't go through. It looked extremely uncomfortable.

Buffy sighed, and walked over to Spike, kneeling down in front of him. "Try not to move. It could cause some internal damage…and completely destroy my roof."

Spike rolled his eyes. "'Glad to see what matters to you."

"Slayer!" They heard from a distance.

Buffy showed him a finger, signaling that she'd be right back, and turned to the edge of the roof, where down on the ground there were what was left of the angry mob. She smiled sweetly at them. "Don't even think that you're getting away without paying for my roof."

"Come down and fight!" One of the vampires hissed.

"Yeah!" the rest of them echoed.

Buffy crossed her arms over her chest. "Do you really think that's wise? I mean, have you seen these guys up here? They don't have the greatest life ahead of them."

"Huh?" A clueless creature asked.

"Their dead," she exclaimed. "Now get away from here. Quietly. If you wake up our neighbors, you're deader than dead." Buffy watched them discuss something or other between them.

"We surrender!" They roared, and started running away in clumps.

Buffy rolled her eyes, turning back to Spike. "Hey, you okay?" He shook his head, looking like he was in pain. "You moved, didn't you?"

--

Kate looked over to Sawyer across the dark car. She looked away, glancing at her fingernails awkwardly. "It was…um, good food," she said. Sawyer nodded, turning on the window wipers, rain starting to pour down. "It's really coming down, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Sawyer agreed silently, turning onto their street.

"Yeah. _Yeah. _Yeah," she repeated. "It's not fair, Sawyer. Not in the least bit. You give me one-worded answers; you sleep on the couch automatically without even _asking _me. You assume that I don't want you in bed, and you don't even _ask. _None of this is fair to me," she ranted.

Sawyer stopped the car, once they pulled up at their driveway. He slumped down into his chair, closing his eyes. "We're gonna wait 'till the rain lets up, is tha' alright with you?"

Kate sighed, touching his arm slowly. "Sawyer, _please_."

He pulled his arm away, setting his hands on the wheel once again. "Look, Freckles, I'm _fine. _Jus' don' feel like havin' a heart to heart." He finally looked at Kate, giving her a meaningful look. "I'll sleep on the bed, if that's what ya want."

"It's not what I want!" She exclaimed, exasperated.

"Well, then what the hell do you want, _Kate_?" He asked, raising his voice.

Kate sighed, opening the door. "I want to be able to _talk_ to you. Really. I want you to be like you were before. Before all of this happened!" She got out of the car and into the rain, slamming the door behind her. She stopped in front of the door, hearing some CRASH sounds.

As soon as Sawyer was beside her, she stopped him from entering the house.

"I think I hear something…" She looked down the street, looking like she didn't care about the rain. "Is _smoke _coming out of that house?" She pointed to Edward and Bella's home.

"O' course not," he responded, rolling his eyes.

"It looks like _people _running out of that house," Kate mused.

"What? Now people can't have guests over their own house?" Sawyer demanded, opening the door and letting himself in. "Come on. You're gonna catch somethin' if you plan on stayin' out there."

"What do you--" she started.

"God damn it!" Kate was interrupted by Sawyer's muffled cry.

"What's wrong?" She asked, entering the house quietly. The second she stepped into the house, her shoe was filled to the brim with water. "Jeez!" She exclaimed. "What happened, Sawyer?" She flipped on the light switch beside her.

The lights flickered on. The first thing Kate could see was Sawyer sitting in the middle of a very big puddle of water. She ran over to him and helped him up. "What happened?" She repeated, looking around at the soaked house. Everything was covered in water, and there was about three inches of water on the floor.

"The windows!" Sawyer yelled, throwing his hands up. "The damn windows!"

"What?" she asked, looking out the windows. "There's nothing wrong with them."

"Except that they're open," he deadpanned.

Kate looked around at the water, a look of realization crossing her face. "You left the windows open and now our house is filled with water. Now that's just great, Sawyer!" She shook her head, running up the stairs.

"Where are ya goin'?" Sawyer shouted, following her.

When he reached the master bedroom, he found Kate taking mounds of clothes out of the closet. Kate turned to Sawyer and threw a pile of clothes at him. "Can you help me, please? We need to get out of here."

"And go where?"

"Somewhere without a lake on the bottom floor!" She grumbled, stashing clothes into a small duffel bag.

"Don' say that like it's my fault," he pointed at her, panting with anger. His shirt was soaked through, and his hair was matted to his face. "I ain't no goddamn weatherman. How was I supposed to know it'd rain?"

Kate didn't even glance at him as she zipped up her bag and headed through the door. "I've got an idea," she called over her shoulder. "Let's go."

"Go where?" He asked her in an agitated tone, grabbing his bag and following her through the door. "Kate, _damn it_, we ain't movin' again."

"Are you crazy?" She shouted, her eyes going wide at the thought. "No, we're just going down the street."

"And stayin' where? We don't got no friends here."

"Rory's," she answered, as if it was obvious.

--

"Hermione!" Draco called, groaning as the water boiled over the pot and spilled onto the stove. "Merlin's beard, _hurry_."

He heard muffled footsteps as Hermione made her way quickly down the stairs. "What, _what?_" She cried hysterically, panting as she ran to his side.

"I've burnt it," he explained to her, pointing to the water bubbling on the stove.

"You can't _burn_ water," she told him, turning the stove off and moving the pot to another burner. "It'll just turn into steam."

"Do I honestly look daft to you?" Draco asked her, pointing to himself. "Honestly, it's what I was boiling that I burnt."

Hermione grumbled under her breath, grabbing a wooden spoon and attempting to pry off the pasta that was sticking quickly to the bottom of the pan. "How many times have I told you _not_ to even attempt to cook?" She chastised him, muttering as some of the pasta stayed glued to the pan.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Obviously, several times, judging from that tone in your voice."

"This isn't some muggle studies class, Draco," she began, dropping the pot into the sink. "You can't just try all this out. You've got no wand to help clean up whatever _disaster_ you end up creating!"

"We've established that countless times," said Draco, sighing loudly. He turned on the water and let it run over the pot. "I think _you're_ the one who keeps forgetting."

"Why would I remind you if I was the one forgetting?"

"I've seen you reach for your wand in every difficult moment," he said, sitting down at the dinette in the kitchen. "Don't try and lie, it'll just make you look silly."

"Just…don't touch the stove," she ordered him, turning around towards the stairs.

"Fine," he shouted to her retreating back, before turning around.

He walked over to the sink, shutting off the water. Now that the pot was soaked, he easily scraped off the remaining pasta, cleaning off the pot and setting it on the counter to dry. "Bloody muggles," He began muttering under his breath. "Not a sensible brain cell in their stupid, _stupid_ heads."

His one sided conversation was interrupted as an owl flew onto the windowsill in front of the sink, tapping it with its beak. He visibly jumped, dropping the pan he was drying. "Sodding owl," he said, opening the window and untying the letter from its leg. "Who the hell could it be?"

Shooing the owl away, he closed the window and walked over to the dinette, sitting down. He untied the letter, and he froze completely as he read the first word.

_Son – _

_I'm happy to see that you've settled well in that rather…cozy home of yours._

_I've made it my top priority to make sure it's not permanent. Please see to it that you're muggle-born wench is aware that she's my primal target._

_And keep in mind, He's also completely aware of your situation._

_- Father_

"Hermione!" Draco called, dropping the letter onto the table. "_Hermione!_" Draco called again, running out of the kitchen and up the stairs. He bumped into her at the top of the landing.

"_What_ is it?" She asked him irritably. "Don't tell me you've burnt yet ano-"

Draco interrupted her. "He knows."

"What? Who?" Hermione questioned, now paying more attention after seeing Draco's worried face.

"_He_ knows," Draco said again, stepping closer to her. "Lucius. He_ knows_ where we are."


	14. Mariano Inn Pt1

Lost in Mystic Creek

Chapter 14

_**Mariano Inn Pt. 1**_

"This is ridiculous," Edward complained, taking the bag that Bella had given him and swinging it over his shoulder. "We don't even know the people and you want us to--"

"We know them," Bella interrupted, smiling sweetly at the vampire. "We know James and we know…uh, what's his name? 'Can't remember."

"Then why don't we go to that man's house?"

"Pacey! That's it." Bella handed him another bag for him to carry. "We can't go to Pacey's house because we don't even know where he lives. For all we know, he could live in another state. He's just James's babysitter."

Edward eyed Bella suspiciously. "And what makes you think that James lives near?"

"I've seen him running around during the day, Edward. His parents look nice enough…" she said, scrunching up her nose as she looked at the now black couch. "Gross."

"Yeah, from far away. Do we even know anything about them?"

Bella ignored him, touching the couch. "Could they not have ruined our new furniture? I mean, it took me hours to pick out this couch. It was cream-colored and _so _comfortable."

Edward put his hand on Bella's shoulder, frowning at her. "This isn't safe. What if they figure me out?"

"You wear your feelings as if they were your clothes, Edward," Bella laughed. "I think anybody will be able to figure out that you're in a bit of a bad mood."

"That's not what I'm talking about, Bella!" He yelled, exasperated.

Bella turned to him, suddenly serious. "I have all of this figured out, Edward. It's night out, you'll be fine. Now, unless you decide to let them know that you're a vampire by putting on--"

"You know I wouldn't do that."

She smiled at him, going up on her toes so that she could gain access to his face more easily. She kissed him softly, pulling away quicker than either wanted. "Then we have nothing to worry about, do we?"

"I'm still not sure about leaving here so quickly. I mean, you're hurt…they'll see the bite marks." He lifted a finger and traced the outline of the two teeth marks.

Bella shivered from the sudden affection, she leaned into his hand. "That's what scarves are for."

"It's not cold ou—" he started, but stopped as Bella had already walked out of the house. "Bella!" he exclaimed, running after her. She was walking fast, hands in her pockets. He grabbed her shoulder, making her stop and turn to face him.

Her face was angry. "Look, Edward, if you want, you can sleep upstairs on a mattress that's burnt to shreds, I'm not stopping you…but, I—we need to find a place to rest. Who knows if those vampires are coming back?" Her voice cracked just then, and her face pleaded for him to agree.

"Bella, we can find another place."

Bella shook her head, pointing to the sky. "It's almost daylight, I'm scared and tired. And right now, having you to protect me might not be enough considering the way you've been beaten up." She placed her hand on his bruised cheek bone as soothingly as possible.

"So that's it, you don't feel safe with me anymore," Edward stated, not even bothering to make this a question. It was already a statement for him. "Bella, I'm sorry if I let you down by letting you get hurt, but--"

"You didn't _let _me get hurt. I'm not your responsibility, and I don't know how this…_this _is going to work if you think of me as a job, as a burden," she finished, not meeting his eyes. "I got hurt because there are always bad things out to get me, and I know you can't always be there. I have to learn to not have to depend on you like that."

Edward put his hands on her hips, shaking his head. "God, Bella, I _want _you to depend on me. I _need _you to depend on me."

"That's nice, but it's not true," she responded, her mind set. "Let's go."

They walked down the street silently, until they reached their destination. Bella looked back at Edward and took his hand before walking up Rory and Jess's steps. Edward let go of her, knocking on the door, apparently his mind was made up also.

Like they expected, they didn't answer for several minutes. And also, they knew that they wouldn't be met by James's eager face. A young woman in a bath robe answered, her face filled with pillow marks.

"Hello…" she said groggily.

Bella smiled at her, she had prepared for this moment. "I'm Bella Swan. This is my boyfriend, Edward."

"If you're selling something, we're not interested," the woman replied in state of annoyance, almost shutting the door in their faces, but luckily Edward caught the door before it had closed.

Edward gave the woman his most charming smile. "We're deeply sorry if we woke you, Miss…but we know your son," he said, hoping that this would catch her attention.

"What, did James harass you or something? We apologize for him, but there is no reason for you to come here at this hour…" Her blue eyes had warmed slightly, but they weren't quite where he wanted them yet.

Edward leaned against the doorframe. "No, no. It's nothing like that." He paused, looking full of thought. "Uh, it was just…"

"We live here, in this neighborhood," Bella interrupted. "We just moved here about two weeks ago."

She raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms across her chest. "Yeah?"

"And tonight, these horrible people came by, and they broke into our house." Bella put on her best worried face. "They hurt Edward pretty bad, and they almost set our house on fire."

The woman's face was now filled with worry also. "Are you alright? I'm so sorry…would you like to borrow our phone? Call the police or something? Whatever I can do for you…" she offered.

Bella smiled. "Actually, about that…our house is pretty much in no shape to be lived in right now. So, we were wondering if we could spend the night here." She looked over at Edward. "We don't know anyone else around here…and we're scared that they might come back."

She extended her hand. "I'm Rory." After Bella and Edward took their turns shaking it, she opened the door a bit wider. "I would love to have you stay here. We have an extra room, and there's no reason why it should be a problem."

Bella suddenly put her arms around the older girl. "Thank you so much!"

Rory laughed, letting them in.

--

"You are _unbelievable_," Joey muttered, hands on her hips as she glared at Pacey. "Seriously, it's mind-blowing how you can possibly accomplish to piss me off even more than I was."

Pacey completely ignored her, walking down the street ahead of her. "It's just for the night. Maybe they'll let us borrow they're car so we can get over to triple A and get a new key." 

"Borrow _their_ car?" She asked him incredulously. "So you can lock their keys inside it and ruin their day, too?"

"Woman, we've established that it's my fault," he said, turning around to face her. "Where is _your_ set of keys?"

"Inside the _locked house_," she answered, trudging ahead of him. She looked to be out of breath as she tried to stay ahead of Pacey.

He laughed to himself at the sight of Joey waddling ahead of him, but quickly swallowed it when he heard her begin to mutter.

They reached the Mariano's house. Pacey walked up the front steps, knocking on the front door.

Joey stood next to him, shaking her head silently as she grumbled to herself. "Didn't know you hated Rory so much."

"Oh don't you _dare_ turn this on me, Pa-" She was interrupted as Rory opened the door, a sleepy scowl plastered on her face.

"What are you guys doing here?" She asked them, supporting her weight with the open door.

Pacey opened his mouth to answer, but Joey beat him to the punch. "He locked his ring of keys in the car."

"How many times do I have to remind you? _You_ locked the car without any sort of warning."

"So I have to ask for your consent every time I do something?" She asked him, hands placed on her hips as she narrowed her eyes. "Is that it?"

Rory muttered sleepily to herself, trying to rub the sleep out of her eyes. "Guys, I really _don't_ care. What do you want?"

Pacey turned to Rory, a bashful look on his face. "Well, just somewhere to crash for the night; a simple gesture to prove our devoted friendship."

"Simple gesture?" She repeated, eyes wide as her knuckles turned white on the door. "I've already got someone else bunking in our spare room. Honestly, they're situation is worse than yours is-"

"Who?" They both asked in unison, surprised looks on their faced.

"Edward and Bella, this young couple from down the street," Rory explained, pointing to their charred house a few houses down. "Someone broke into their house and set it on fire, after beating up Edward."

"Well, to be honest, Rory," Pacey began, stepping from foot to foot. "At least they can get into their house. We don't even have any windows open or anything like-"

Rory glared at him, pointing inside the house. "Just get in, you ungrateful man."

"Ha," Joey muttered, walking in before him. "Thanks, Ror," she said as she walked by, an apologetic look on her face.

Rory smiled slightly before shutting the door behind them.

--

"We're leaving," Draco had said shortly after he explained everything to Hermione. "They can easily get us here, and we can't risk it."

Hermione looked panicked as Draco began packing clothes and essentials into a small bag. "How…how did he…?" She trailed off, before realization dawned on her. _Draco used his wand_, she thought to herself. _Lucius traced it._ Her hand came up to hold her head as she sat down on the bench at the foot of their bed. "Is this really happening?"

Draco simply rolled his eyes, bustling about the room, searching for anything they might need. "Just get your things together. We have to go," he told her sullenly, walking into the bathroom to gather anything he might need in there.

"Where are we going, though?" Hermione asked, shoving some of her own things into the bag. She frowned when she noticed the bag wasn't getting any bigger. "Did you bring an Endless bag with you?" She asked loudly, looking it over.

Draco nodded, shoving things inside. "Figured we'd need it sometime."

Hermione sighed heavily, throwing in a few small things before zippering the bag closed. "I can't believe it," she said to him, sitting gingerly on the edge of the bed.

Draco noticed his fiancé's crestfallen face. He sat down next to her, embracing her tightly. He placed a kiss to her temple before speaking. "It'll be fine," he reassured her. "Think of it as a vacation."

"Without the glamour," Hermione muttered, her voice taking a sour tone.

Draco got up, lacing his fingers with hers and grabbing the Endless bag. "Let's go. Might as well leave while it's dark."

"Where are we even going?" She asked him again, pulling on a coat as they walked outside.

"No idea," he answered, shrugging. "I'll figure it out in a second. We just need to get out of this neighborhood."

Hermione walked over to the driver's side of the car, fumbling for the keys with shaking hands. She growled slightly as she dropped the keys. When she bent down to get them, she heard voices approaching.

"…_You are unbelievable. Seriously, it's mind-blowing how you can possibly accomplish to piss me off even more than I was."_

"_It's just for the night. Maybe they'll let us borrow they're car so we can get over to triple A and get a new key."  
_

"_Borrow their car? So you can lock their keys inside it and ruin their day, too?"_

"_Woman, we've established that it's my fault. Where is your set of keys?"_

"_Inside the locked house…"_

She got up from the ground, peering over the roof of the car at Draco. He seemed to be lost in thought. She turned towards the arguing couple, noticing they were walking in the direction of the Mariano's house. An idea struck her as she turned back to Draco. "Now, tell me again how much your father hates muggles?"

Draco's shifted so he was looking at her, an eyebrow turned up in a questioning look. "Come again?"

"You're father hates muggleborns," She began, but was interrupted.

"Isn't it obvious?"

She disregarded him, continuing with her idea. "He would never stoop low enough to actually walk inside a muggle house, now would he?"

Draco's face dawned in understanding, but quickly changed to one of indifference. "He would think of all that and more. He'd probably check every house in the neighborhood, using us as an excuse to go on a killing spree."

Hermione's face fell, looking down at her shaking hands. "It's better than wandering around, isn't it?" She looked back up at him. "We'll at least be safe for a few nights."

"We will, _they_ won't," he reminded her. "By staying there, we're putting them in danger."

"It's just temporary," said Hermione, continuing to push the idea. "We'll try and find another place as soon as we can, but for now it's all we can do."

Draco sighed, looking lost in thought for a moment before he nodded, agreeing. "Just what are we going to tell them?"

"We've locked ourselves out," she explained, "And they're the only ones on this block we know well enough to ask for this favor."

Draco just nodded, grabbing the bag and walking over to meet Hermione. After a few minutes of walking, they reached the Mariano's. Hermione looked at Draco warily, before knocking on the door.

Rory opened the door, a disgruntled look on her face. "Yeah?" She asked them, one eye opened in sleepiness.

"I know this is a huge favor to ask of you," Hermione began explaining. "But we've been locked out of our home, and we really couldn't think of anywhere else to-"

"…stay?" Rory finished for her. "It's fine, really. Half the neighborhood is here anyways."

Draco nodded. "I'm sorry if it's an inconvenience, but we really didn't know where else."

"Trust me, your not the first tonight," she told them, letting them in and closing the door behind them.

--

"Ugh, I can't believe our luck…" Buffy grunted, looking over at the bleached vampire. "Can you believe our luck? I mean, I thought we were done with all this…demonic stuff once Sunnydale tumbled down."

Spike smirked at her, breathing out a cloud of smoke into her face. "'Don't know, pet. I thought you seemed pretty anxious to get some action since you came to L.A…"

"I went to see you, you idiot," she replied, waving the smoke away. "Can you not?"

"Can I not what?" he asked smugly.

Buffy rolled her eyes, taking the cigarette by force and sending it hurling towards the street. "Smoke. I hate it when you smoke. You taste like a chimney. And then with the smell of the bleach…jeez, I wonder why I even kiss you anymore when you smell like this."

"'Cause I'm irresistible." Spike brought his hands up to his hair subconsciously. "You don't like my hair? I 'ave to dye it once a week, and it's not my fault an army of demons decided to attack the same day that I'm scheduled for m'beauty--"

"I beg of you not to finish that sentence," she sighed, looking back at the house that they had arrived at only minutes ago. "So you don't think their home?"

Spike rolled his eyes, looking at the dark house. "The lights aren't even on. They probably have places to be. And I really find that insulting that that git had plans on a Friday night and I don't." 

"Can we focus on the fact that we have no place to go and it's almost sunrise?" Buffy asked, hoping that this would get his attention. No such luck. He just smirked at her. "_Spike_," she complained.

Spike took a step towards her, forcing Buffy against the doorframe. He put a finger on her bottom lip, dragging it down slightly. When she tried to stop him by lifting her arms, he only pressed himself against her harder. "I can think of some things to occupy our time…"

"That's such a stupid line," Buffy said, an amused expression on her face. "I'm not falling for what you think are charms."

"It's not charms that keep you hot, pet," he mumbled, leaning in for a kiss.

Before their lips could even meet, Buffy widened her eyes, pushing Spike off her with full slayer strength. "I got it!" she exclaimed, running down Pacey and Joey's steps.

Her vampire boyfriend stayed behind, groaning to himself. "Slayer! We're not done here!"

She looked back at him, rolling her eyes slightly. "Try to lower your horn level by at least two percent so we can get on with our lives a bit more normally."

"What the hell is it, Sla--"

She interrupted him by yelling out a name he would have never expected. "James!" Buffy smiled, going up to him and taking him by the hand. "I almost forgot about him."

Spike looked at the slayer curiously, raising an eyebrow with a scowl. "So it's that little bugger that you were thinking of while we were about to snog?"

She didn't even bother answering his question as she pulled him by the hand, down the sidewalk and towards the first house of the cul-de-sac. "While you were giving me your usual speech, I noticed that at least four people were going into that house. I think it's where James lives."

Spike tagged along, not looking too convinced. "Are you bloody positive that it's James's house? Because it would look a tad embarrassing to show up at a stranger's house asking for a little person that's not even four feet tall."

Buffy let out a laugh, slowing her walk just a little, so she could enjoy the walk a bit more. "I have Slayer senses, I'm sure." She tightened her grip on his hand, and now they were walking side by side.

Spike grinned at her.

"What are you smiling at?" she asked, avoiding his eyes and even letting herself blush a bit by his constant staring.

But he couldn't answer, as they had already arrived at James's supposed house. He pursed his lips together, watching her trot up the stairs. "'Hope you have a little apology ready, 'cause--"

"Hello, Mariano Inn, how may I help you?" said the young man who had answered the door.

Buffy's cheeks reddened, running a hand through her blonde hair. "I'm incredibly sorry, we have the wrong house."

All the time that Buffy had been talking (which hadn't been long) he managed to look even more bored by every other word. "Depends. Who were you looking for?"

"James," she said, a bit embarrassed.

The guy seemed to get very mad and very soon. He rolled his brown eyes. "Jeez. We should make that kid take care of all these people."

"All these people?" Buffy repeated, confused. "We were just…I mean, some people came into our house and just took everything. They damaged our more vital stuff that we needed…for sleep."

"They took the telly," Spike interjected from behind Buffy.

The man raised an eyebrow at the strange couple. "Sorry. That excuse has been taken already. Try again."

"What do you mean, try again?" Buffy inquired, fidgeting with her thumbs. This man made her awfully uncomfortable.

"Jess, are you harassing these nice people?" came a voice from behind the man. A woman with a very pregnant belly and brown hair stepped up from behind him, pushing him aside.

Jess looked at the woman, eyes narrowing. "Now, Joey, that isn't very _nice_."

Buffy extended her hand to the woman, smiling tightly. "I'm Buffy, this is Spike. We were just wondering if we could stay the night. I was a bit confused by your husband--"

"Husband?" Joey scoffed. "I'd have to speak mumble-and-grumble to be able to be married to Jess, which explains why we don't exactly get along."

"Can I go now?" Jess mumbled. "Answering the door was supposed to be my thing but now I see I've been replaced by Moby Dick."

Joey shoved his shoulder. "There you go again with the literary references. You know it annoys the hell out of me," she snapped.

"Oh, that's right, we're not _cultured_ enough to get a good book in between the first brownie and the second."

Spike raised both his arms, interrupting the on-going quarrel. "Look, mate, we're just here for a place to stay. And it'd be preferable to stay out of the soap opera you have going on over here."

Buffy giggled. "And he's usually good with the _Passions _stuff."

Jess turned to Joey. "They say that people broke into their house and took necessary…" he turned to Buffy. "How was it that you put it? 'Sleeping stuff'."

"The soddin' house is bloody destroyed," the vampire growled, looking mad.

Joey looked at Spike as if he was an angel sent from heaven. "You're British…" she said dreamily.

"Believe it or not," he answered.

"And you look a bit like David Beckham…" she drifted off, studying his features.

Buffy crossed her arms over her chest, furrowing a brow at Spike and Joey's interaction. "First of all, he looks nothing like David Beckham. Secondly, I'd also prefer for us to get inside before sunrise. He's got a heavy allergy towards the sun."

Joey threw a smile at Spike. "Your complexion is amazing. I mean, no wonder. I would never go out in the sun too if I had skin like yours."

After that was said, both vampire and Slayer followed Joey inside the house. And before they could get very far, Spike stopped Buffy and leaned in towards her ear.

"Who's David Beckham?"

--

Rory collapsed onto her king-sized bed, sighing deeply. "Do you ever wonder how James meets so many people? I thought they would never stop coming," she told her fiancé, who was now sitting next to her, rubbing his temples. "The fact that we've been up all night makes our schedule all funky. Now we have to sleep in the day and be nocturnal. Who knew that having a kid would be so much work?"

Jess smirked at her, taking her hand in his' and placing a kiss on her knuckles. "You know the night is not even half-way over, right?"

"Oh, they can take care of themselves," she dismissed. "Almost all of them are over eighteen. Bella looks iffy."

Jess let out a throaty chuckle, leaning back and laying next to Rory.

"I think I liked it better when it was just us and Pacey and Joey," Rory decided, letting her eyes close for just a few seconds before someone started knocking on the door. "Come in!" she yelled, granting an entrance to one of the blondes that Jess had let in.

Buffy walked in, looking slightly uncomfortable. "I don't know if you really _care_…but I think there's someone at the door."

Rory groaned, sitting up. "I haven't met you, have I?" she asked, standing up and extending a hand. "I'm Rory Gilmore."

"Buffy Summers," Buffy replied, smiling warily. "And just so you know, I don't think that there are any towels left…and with that situation going on; a lot of people are being welcome to walk around naked."

Jess smirked behind both women. "I might have encouraged that," he admitted, not looking like he cared very much.

"Jess!" Rory gasped. "I can't have people walking around my house naked. What will happen to the furniture?" She groaned, urging Buffy to follow her. "I'm not a very menacing person…can you be firm?"

Buffy smiled widely. "I think that's one of my specialties."

"Make love, not war!" Jess whooped after them.

--

Rory's face paled once she saw who was at the door. The last people in the world that she expected to show up at the house were standing right on her doorstep, duffel bags in tow. She inwardly groaned as she stepped in front of Buffy. Buffy left her side to go deal with the decrease in towels. "Come to join the rest of the crowd?" She asked them, eyebrow turned up.

"What?" Kate asked, face contorting in confusion.

"The entire block is currently rooming here," she explained to them. "You here to join them?"

Kate faltered for a second, and Sawyer stepped in. "Our house got flooded," he began. "We left the windows open."

"Oh." Rory looked down at her feet, rocking back and forth.

Kate broke the silence. "I know it's a lot to ask; especially now since I'm guessing we're the last to get here." Rory nodded. "Is it alright?" Kate asked, shifting the duffel bag on her shoulder.

Rory shrugged, looking back into the crowded living room. They were all gathered there, immersed in their own private conversations with their respective others. She tapped he foot on the ground, contemplating what Kate was asking. Ever since the talk she had with Joey, she had been really apprehensive on getting to know the couple better. James had taken an immediate liking to them, but she had done all she could to keep him away from the house, and away from the couple. She couldn't completely reject her plead for a place to stay, because that went against the morals she prided herself in.

She sighed heavily as she looked back up at Kate. "I don't think we've got much room left."

"O-Oh," stuttered Kate, sighing as she ran a hand through her hair. "Are you sure?" She asked her again, unaware of what was running through Rory's mind.

"I'm willing to-" She was interrupted as Bella walked up to Rory, tapping her on the shoulder. "Yeah?" Rory asked, turning her head to face her.

"We're running out of toilet paper, and I think…" She trailed off when she noticed the couple standing there. "Hi," she greeted, extending her hand to them. "I'm Bella."

Rory inwardly sighed, starting to regret letting _anyone_ inside the house in the first place. "You were saying?" Rory reminded her.

Bella ignored her, keeping her attention on Kate. "What are you guys here for?"

Kate glanced at Sawyer before answering. "We found our house flooded," she explained.

"At least yours is still intact," Bella laughed. "Ours got charred to bits." Kate gave her a sympathetic smile. "Rory's been really nice about rooming," Bella continued. "I think there are three other couples here besides Edward and me."

"Is that right?" Sawyer asked, turning to Rory with his eyebrow turned up in a questioning gesture. "Didn' seem that way a couple seconds ago."

Rory smiled awkwardly, avoiding their gaze. "Thanks for clearing that up," she said to Bella. "I really thought we ran out of room."

"No problem," Bella answered cheerily, walking back to the cluster of people gathered in the living room.

"Come on in," Rory told them softly, stepping to the side so they could walk in.

--

Hermione grumbled to herself as she tried to figure out the coffee machine. When she had started drinking coffee, she was already at the age where she was able to do it magically, and she never really bothered learning the muggle way. As she fumbled around, she finally figured out how to get the top closed without anything spilling over, and she smiled to herself. Turning it on, she turned around and leaned against the counter, arms folded as she took in the scene in front of her. Everyone was grouped in small clusters of three or four, engrossed in light conversation. She smiled, happy to be surrounded by muggles. The troubles of her world, the wizard world, seemed distant as she stood in the modest kitchen, waiting for muggle made coffee to finish brewing.

She turned around to face the pot when she heard something plop into the coffee pot, rather than drip in. She groaned when she realized the coffee was as thick as porridge.

"Looks bloody _awful_," a voice chimed in behind her.

"I'm not exactly a cook," she quipped, turning the coffee machine off.

"Doesn't take a genius to figure out that machine," Spike told her, walking over to where she was standing. "Just coffee."

"Us Brits are tea lovers," she retorted, dumping the coffee pot into the trash before placing it in the sink. "That's my specialty."

"Mine's more of the red liquid variety…," he paused, realizing what he just said. "Wine. Wine's my choice of drink."

"You like alcohol?" Hermione asked, laughing at the look on his face.

"No, just like enjoying myself once in a while, 'ave a cup of wine with my bird," Spike said, smiling to himself at the thought of him and Buffy finding some alone time together.

Hermione nodded, scrubbing the pot. "Which one is yours?"

Spike pointed to Buffy, who was sitting on the rumpled looking couch, chatting with some brown haired girl. "That lil' blondie over there."

"She's pretty," she said admiringly.

"Bloody gorgeous, I'd say." He tossed a quick look Hermione's way before looking back at Buffy. "Not that you're not quite fetching or anything. Jus' like 'em short, blond, and stubborn."

Hermione giggled, placing the pot on the counter to dry. "I'm Hermione," she told him, holding out her free hand. "I've got a blond one myself," she said, pointing to Draco, who was chatting with a brown haired man.

"Spike," he said back, shaking her hand. "Looks like we've got a common interest."

They lapsed into silence, but were quickly interrupted as Pacey wandered into the kitchen. "Was that coffee I smelled?" He asked the two.

"Coffee impersonator," Spike snorted. "Luckily, I intervened in time."

"Oh, a modest bloke," said Hermione, sarcasm dripping from every word.

Pacey laughed. "That bad?"

"I'm not a cook," she repeated, shrugging.

"So…" Pacey trailed off awkwardly. "You two must have lots of things in common." Hermione looked at him weirdly. "You know, since you're both British and all."

Spike snorted, turning around to hide his laughter.

--

"Kate," Sawyer whispered into his girlfriend's ear.

She smiled at Bella, signaling to her that she'd be right back. "What is it?" she asked once they were out in the hallway. "I was actually having a nice conversation with that girl." She looked back at the living room, where Bella was now sitting on her boyfriend's lap.

Sawyer snorted, looking amused. "'Didn't know you liked talkin' with the younger gals."

"Well, she's nice," she responded, crossing her arms over her chest. "She's the reason why we're here, just so you know. If she hadn't intervened, there was no way in hell Rory would've let us in."

"I think she's got reason enough not t' trust us," Sawyer commented through his teeth, leaning against the wall.

"Can we _not _get into this in the middle of Rory's house? She already thinks I'm dangerous or something…I don't need her thinking that I'm being rude too." Kate let her eyes dart from Sawyer to the jam-packed living room where everyone was sitting. "But I know how you'd just love to ruin this nice time for me."

Sawyer shook his head. She was un-freakin'-believable. He would say somethin', and she would respond by puttin' all the blame smack dab on him. "So, I'm always the bad guy in all this?" He snapped.

Kate rolled her eyes, taking his arm and leading him into the main bathroom. As Kate had expected, the place was decorated in a girly fashion, purple towels and white wallpaper. She sat on the closed toilet, her face burrowed in her hands. "I can't keep having this fight."

"'S that 'cause you don' wanna fight or is it 'cause you jus' don' wanna make a bad impression on your little girlfriends?" he questioned, his voice filled with venom.

She stood up, her eyes pleading. "I don't want to fight, Sawyer. I thought I had made that clear already. I'm very, incredibly sorry about what happened. I know it's hard for you to accept the fact that I'm actually _human _and I make _mistakes…_I know you're _perfect _and all." She glanced down at his pants. "'Cause that fucking letter isn't burning a hole into your jeans, right?"

Sawyer ignored her last comment and took her by the shoulders, pulling her into him. She was closer to him than she wanted to be at the moment, and these seconds of silence reminded her of the first time she pulled a gun on him. "When you chose this lifestyle, Kate, you knew that there was no _room _for mistakes."

"Well, maybe I'm rethinking the whole thing," Kate retorted viciously.

--

"So, how'd he end up so…outgoing?" Edward asked Jess after finding the right words to confront the monosyllabic man. "I mean, you just sit there, and Rory's a bit shy. James is very…out there."

Jess turned to Edward, his face looking for a second like it was filled with knowledge. "I don't just sit here," he said. "I observe. I see things that nobody else notices because their all wrapped up in their little dramas. I have no dramas, so I can notice."

"Well…you look like your just sitting there," Edward chuckled.

"For example," Jess started. "I know that Kate is a fugitive, and her and that southern guy are having some deep problems. Nothing we would want to deal with, though."

"She's a--"

"And I know that that dragon guy and the frizzy haired girl are making out in the guest bedroom at this moment," he continued. "And that Rory is mad at your little lady."

"My little…?" Edward started to ask.

"I know that there's something going on with the weird British guy that always says 'bloody' all the time…and that Ms. Moby Dick is right now yelling at Pacey because she's secretly gathering the courage to talk to Kate about the fugitive thing," Jess finished, and leaned back. He grinned, looking proud of himself.

Edward widened his eyes, taking a sip of his coffee. "Now I know where he gets it."

Suddenly, a small blond ran and practically tripped over their feet, looking a bit overwhelmed. She looked at both men while straightening herself out. "Hey, guys," she said. "I know you," this comment was directed at Jess.

He nodded. "Bloody right."

The blond looked at him weirdly. "Uh, so, _hi_. I'm Buffy," she told Edward, shaking his hand.

"You have a strong grip," Edward complimented, nodding as he pulled away.

"Thanks."

"I bloody did not know that you have a bloody strong grip," Jess commented, a smirk prominent on his face. "Do you bloody work out?"

Buffy narrowed her eyes at the brown-eyed man, not finding his comments funny in the least bit. In fact, she was getting more annoyed by the second. "I don't."

"Well, then it's a bloody miracle, isn't it?" he exclaimed, taking a swig from his beer.

Buffy looked at Edward then back at Jess. Edward tried his best to stifle laughter. "Have you guys seen Spike?"

"Who?" Edward asked, before Jess could speak.

"My boyfriend," she explained. "Short, bleached hair, sounds a bit like Jess at the moment."

Jess nodded vigorously. "Your boyfriend and I are bloody good pals."

She rolled her eyes. "Something must have stuck."

"I wonder what the bloody hell it is," Jess mused.

--

Rory sighed, rubbing her temple as she walked over to James's room. Opening the door quietly, she found him sleeping soundly on his bed, soft snores emitting from his mouth. She smiled slightly, happy to be in the one calm room in the house. Walking over to him, she gently picked him up, placing his head on her shoulder. Just like she predicted, he stirred slightly, rubbing his eyes sleepily as he looked at his mother's face.

"Mommy?" He asked her, frowning slightly from being out of his bed.

"I'm just taking you to my room," she explained, walking down the hall. "There are some people here that need to stay in your room."

At the thought of other people, James immediately perked up. "Who's here?" He asked her excitedly.

Rory disregarded his question, reaching the doorway leading into the living room. James lifted his head and gazed at the group sleepily. When he registered who they were, his eyes lit up. He shimmied out of his mother's grasp, running into the middle of the room. He turned back to his mom, eyes wide with excitement. "You invited all of my friends?" He shrieked, hands shooting into the air with an excited whoop.

The room quieted down, their attention focusing on the tiny boy gazing at them all.

"Oh, I didn't have to invite them," Rory informed James, walking over to where he was standing. She picked him up before looking out at the group that was watching the exchange between Rory and James. Rory smiled shyly before speaking. "I was thinking we could hand out room assignments or something," she suggested.

Jess groaned from where he was sitting, placing his head in his hands. "We're officially an inn," he muttered.

Rory shot him a look before continuing. "It's going to have to be two couples per room, since we're short of-" She was interrupted as the entire room broke out into quiet conversations with their respective others. "Hey, no complaining. It's just for the night, right?" When the group went silent, she visibly blanched at the thought of an entire weekend with this many healthy, adult couples staying in her home with a small three year old boy.

"Don't worry mommy," James assured her, climbing down from her grasp. He gazed proudly at the adults in the room, a goofy smile on his face. "They can all stay in my room," he stated, pointing a thumb at himself. "I've got a big boy bed. We can share."

"I'm sure that wouldn't work out too well, honey," Rory told him softly. "There's just too many of them."

Rory shot Jess a look, her eyes pleading for his help. He merely shrugged, smirking. "You're the one who made the decision for them to stay. I had no part in it."

She narrowed her eyes at him before turning her attention back to the group. "So, besides your other halves, anyone have an idea of who they want to room with?"

"Preferably?" Pacey asked aloud. "Alone. But you don't want to hear that. So I claim Rory and Jess. They might go at like bunnies, but at least they're quiet about it."

Rory blushed visibly, and Jess smirked. "Rule number one," Rory began, holding up her index finger. "No…" She glanced at James before lowering her voice. "No sex."

Most of the males in the room audibly groaned, and the girls laughed at their reactions.

"Not even if we're quiet?" Spike asked, his eyes looking hopeful.

Buffy rolled her eyes. "That's impossible."

Spike shrugged. "I guess you can say I've got talents."

Pacey cringed. "Can you have some self respect? Look, the poor boy is scarred," he said, pointing to James, who was listening intently.

James shook his head. "I know what sex is. When a man and a woman really _really_ love each other, the man starts to-"

Rory interrupted him quickly, blushing. "James Mariano, where did you learn that?"

James grinned. "Grandma Lorelai told me it was valudable information for when I was a big boy."

Jess laughed at the anger on Rory's face, but quieted down when she glared at him.

Putting aside what James said, she turned to the group. "Any other claims?" After she got no response, she nodded. "Fine. Then we'll have to do this the hard way." She took out a piece of paper from her pocket and took a pen from the table beside her. "I've got all your names here." She started cutting out the little pieces of paper and put them in a small hat that she had brought with her.

"And what happens when we get someone we _don't _want to room with?" Bella asked the question that everyone wanted to ask.

Rory widened her eyes at Bella. "Then you deal, because you had your chance to speak up, and you didn't." She kneeled down in front of James and gave him the hat. "Will you do the honors, James, and pass this around?"

He nodded eagerly, and started walking from the beginning of the circle. The first couple was Draco and Hermione. "Hi guys!" he exclaimed excitedly. He leaned into Draco's ear. "I know what you're up to, dude." After scaring Draco just a bit, he pulled away and extended the hat. "No cheating!" he directed.

Hermione closed her eyes and stuck her hand into the baseball cap, drawing a small folded piece of paper. Draco leaned over towards her even more than he already was, interested to see who they got. "Uh…Pacey and Joey…"

Joey raised an eyebrow. "I thought we were rooming with Rory and Jess."

"You are," Rory stated quickly, not even wanting to think about rooming with anyone else. She took the paper out of Hermione's hand and crumpled it up. "Try again."

"Try again," James repeated.

"Can we speed this up, sweetcheeks?" Sawyer interrupted, looking exasperated.

James rolled his eyes, narrowing his eyes at the southern man. "My mom's cheeks aren't sweet! You're a silly guy…you talk silly too," he observed.

"_Can _we get on with this?" Draco joined in.

Hermione nodded, not even bothering to close her eyes this time. She drew another piece of paper. "S-s-spike and Buffy," she announced finally. She looked at Spike and smiled.

Pacey looked at the two with an amused expression. "That's ironic."

Buffy shrugged, looking like she didn't really care whether or not she roomed with them. "That works."

Rory shook her head, looking very proud that her system was working. "Okay, you guys can take the living room. We'll take the table out of here and set up some sort of bed on the floor…and then one of you get the couch."

"Brilliant, we get the most _open _space, of course," Spike commented, obviously annoyed.

"Fine, you guys can--"

"No, that's fine," Buffy interrupted, sending a death glare towards the vampire. "We don't want to be trouble, really. We only appreciate that you guys took us in."

"Fine, then we claim the couch," Spike exclaimed, raising his hand up.

Draco looked at Rory with a troubled expression. "Does that count, luv?" he asked.

Rory giggled. "I think so."

Draco turned to Hermione, looking for approval. She nodded. "We're alright with that."

James walked over to the next couple, Edward and Bella. Bella reached into the hat, grabbing a slip of paper. Unfolding it, she read aloud, "Sawyer and Kate." Bella looked over to the last couple without room assignments, and smiled at Kate. "Now I know your name," she said to her happily.

Buffy's eyes narrowed, looking at Kate from where she was sitting. She turned to Spike, leaning into his ear. "You've got super hearing. What was her name again?"

He looked at her warily. "Didn't know you were hard of hearing, pet."

She rolled her eyes. "Just answer the question."

"Kate."

She nodded, leaning back into the couch and folding her arms across her chest. Spike kept his gaze on her for a moment longer before turning back to the group.

--

Bella shuffled into her and Edward's temporary room. Sighing happily, she dumped her bag onto the bed, flopping down next to her bag. Edward walked a few seconds behind her, setting his bag down at the foot of the bed.

"It's cozy," Bella commented quietly, rolling over to face Edward. "It's going to be tight, though." She motioned to the small bed, which was covered in batman sheets.

Edward laughed at the sight of the sheets before sitting down next to Bella. He began running his hands through her hair.

Bella looked up at Edward through her eyelashes. "What are we going to do about our house?"

Edward shrugged. "We're going to have to make some calls."

Bella sighed, bringing her head to rest in her lap. "I'm glad we have nice roomies," she told him. "I met them earlier today."

"Really?" Edward asked, his face hardening. He wasn't too keen on rooming with Kate and her boyfriend, ever since he found out about her being a fugitive.

"Mhmm," she responded, nodding her head. "We need some friends in this neighborhood, besides James."

"Look, Bella," he began, turning to face her. "I don't really think that-"

"Hey," they heard Kate's voice as her and Sawyer entered the small room. Sawyer was bearing all of their bags, and Kate was holding two mugs. She put them down on the bedside table. "We brought you some hot chocolate."

Bella looked at Kate excitedly, smiling widely. "Wow. Thank you. Did you guys already have some?" she asked as she took a sip from her mug.

Kate grinned at Bella's chocolate mustache, and signaled for her to wipe her lip. Bella blushed and did so, but still looked expectantly at the older woman to answer her question. "We're okay. I don't think Sawyer is a big chocolate fan."

"Nope. Can't say I am," Sawyer agreed gruffly.

Edward sat upright, suddenly a bit tense. He couldn't help it, Kate's presence made him immensely nervous. "Uh, Rory said that your bed is in the closet."

"We claimed James's," Bella giggled.

Sawyer nodded, making his way to the closet and pulling out an uncomfortably thin mattress. Kate helped him out, and the end result was a small, pink comfort zone on the floor. Kate flopped onto the bed, drawing out a pillow from beside her. "I feel ridiculous," she admitted quietly.

"Edward, can you get me another pillow?" Bella requested with an innocently sweet face on. She laughed as Edward left the room reluctantly.

"Poor boy," said Sawyer under his breath.

"I'm sure he loves doing that for her, Sawyer," Kate argued, patting the spot beside her.

Sawyer shook his head. "I don' think I'm even gonna fit on that thing."

Bella looked at the couple, and then nodded. "No, I'm sure you guys will fit fine." She then pointed to the bed where she was sitting. "If not, you guys can take the bed and we can take the--"

"No. Don't be ridiculous, Bella."

"Look, Freckles, I think we might wanna take her offer. Not that I'm _fightin' _or anything," he said pointedly.

Kate shook her head, in an I-can't-believe-you manner. "Sawyer, I don't want to make the night more utterly uncomfortable for them. Edward's a big guy too. He's not going to fit either, so--"

"Well, I don' think it's fair to--"

"They claimed it!" Kate fumed, standing up.

Bella looked at the fighting couple with a guilty expression. "I'm really sorry; I didn't mean to get you guys fighting. Really. You guys take the bed, and we'll take the floor. No problem, honestly," she tried her best to sound re-assuring.

"What _is _the problem?" asked Edward from his place at the doorway.

"No problem. There is absolutely no problem." Bella sent the vampire a meaningful look. "We're taking the floor. That's alright, right?"

"Uh, yeah," Edward said finally, after looking at Sawyer and Kate suspiciously. "What brought this on, then?" He inquired as Bella moved to the mattress on the floor.

"Sawyer was being stubborn and--" Kate started.

"You know what? I'm sick o' this! What the _hell _is your problem? Everythin' I do is _wrong_! I can't do nothin' right, so why in the hell do I try?" Sawyer yelled, and Kate looked just a bit surprised at his outburst.

"Because we're _married_, Sawyer," she exclaimed, pointing to the simple gold band on her finger. "We're married, and I thought that you knew what that meant. I thought you knew that--"

"_What_? 'Cause apparently I _am _an idiot, so maybe I need your much needed _guidance_," Sawyer spat.

Kate looked down, and when she looked back up, Bella could see tears springing from the older woman's eyes. "It means that for the first time in my life, _you're _supposed to take care of _me. _I'm supposed to make mistakes and you're supposed to forgive and forget. Before now, I _never _expected you to treat me well or even expected for our relationship to work, because that's the way things go with us…but I felt like now maybe some things could change if you even tried."

"What in the hell do ya think I'm trying to do, Kate? Do you really think I'm really tryin' to hurt you? I'm jus' tryin' to take _care_ of you. I'm scared, Freckles," he told her softly. Tears were now definitely coming down her cheeks. "I'm scared tha' we might not make it and that they might take you _away _from me."

Kate bit her bottom lip, scrubbing away her tears furiously. "You say all this like you expect me to know this when you don't even _speak _to me. I don't even…" she drew in a deep breath, hiccups starting to arise. "I don't even _know _what you're thinking…" She shook her head, making a quick exit out the door.

Bella looked at Sawyer, and then at the place where Kate used to stand. She sighed and gave a look to Edward before following behind the older woman.


	15. Mariano Inn Pt2

A/N: Hey everyone! I hope you guys are enjoying the story, because we sure enjoy writing it. So thanks for the reviews.

But we just wanted to let you know that we're going to have a little hiatus from now until Thanksgiving break. I know it sucks, but it's something we have to do so we can write the next set of chapters for you all. But, after Thanksgiving, I promise you new chapters as soon as possible!

Thanks for the support, and be as patient as you can be until we can update.

--

Lost in Mystic Creek

Chapter 15

_Mariano Inn, Part 2_

Hermione pulled away, smiling slightly. "We should head in. We've been out here for a while."

Draco groaned. "Now?" He asked, nipping at her lip slightly.

Hermione nodded, kissing him quickly. "We're acting like some hormone driven teenagers," she giggled. "Come _on_."

Draco groaned, but gave in. He grabbed her hand and led them into the room.

Spike looked up at them, shooting them a glare of envy. "I see you two are enjoying yourselves," he commented dryly.

Draco shrugged, smirking. Hermione swatted his shoulder, blushing considerably.

"'Least somebody's getting lucky tonight," he said aloud, pointing to Buffy's sleeping figure.

"Oh, you boys," Hermione chastised. "Is that all you worry about?"

"Pretty much," Spike told her, and Draco nodded in agreement.

Hermione shot him a glare before disentangling herself from Draco. "I'm going to get ready for bed," she told him, grabbing her bag.

"Already?" He asked her incredulously. "It's daylight out."

"And it will be for the rest of the day," she mocked him.

"Can't you just hold out for another hour?" He pleaded.

"I'm tired."

"But can't you-"

"No," she told him sternly before shutting the bathroom door.

"You're on a tight leash, mate," Spike commented, chuckling at the exchange between the two.

"Not normally," he assured him proudly. "Don't want to cause a row with that woman in front of an audience. It can get bad."

"I've got experience in the…violence department with this one," he told him, pointing behind him towards Buffy. "Her bark is _just_ as bad as her bite."

Hermione walked out of the bathroom then, dropping her bag at the foot of the bed. "You two getting along fine?" She asked, dropping down onto the mattress next to where Draco was sitting.

Draco nodded, turning to face her. "You really going to turn in, then?" She nodded, leaning up to kiss him quickly. Draco held her there, deepening the kiss.

"Oi, you two," Spike pointed a finger at the pair. "I don't care if your newlyweds, or some other bollocks excuse, I really don't need to see this."

Hermione kissed him once more before turning around to sleep.

As Draco and Spike lapsed into silence, they were startled when Hermione shot out of bed suddenly, scrambling to get to the bathroom.

"Herm-" Draco began, but stopped short when he heard the door slam. He got up from his spot on the floor, disappearing down the hall.

After Draco left to help Hermione, Spike turned around in the bed to face Buffy. He smiled slightly at the serene look on her face, running his knuckles over her cheekbone. She stirred, opening her eyes blearily. "Hmm?" She asked him, rolling over so she was facing him.

"I'm bored," he told her bluntly, rubbing his hand up and down her upper thigh. "Care to change that?"

She groaned, placing her hand on top of his. "I'm tired, in case you missed the memo. Besides, we're not alone, remember?"

"Right now, we are," he murmured in her ear, nibbling it slightly. "Let's take full advantage of that, shall we?"

"Let's not," she stated, giggling unwillingly at the tickle that he was providing her at the base of her ear.

Spike raised his eyebrows, pulling her leg and hooking it on his waist. "Your heart beat tells me differently." Buffy rolled her eyes, giving in to a long, lingering kiss. "See. No harm done," he said as he pulled her in for another kiss.

"We leave you alone for two minutes," Draco stated amusedly.

Buffy pulled away from Spike, her face thoroughly flushed. "We're so sorry, Draco," she apologized. "Spike was just—I'm sorry," she rambled, then saw that Hermione walked in behind him, looking a bit pale. "Are you okay?" she asked, sitting up.

"'Just had to ruin the best moment of this bleedin' awful day, didn't you?" Spike directed to Draco, narrowing his eyes at the blonde.

"I'm fine," Hermione responded. "I was feeling alright moments ago. But then, it just sort of came."

Spike smirked at the sick-looking brunette. "Your dinner into Rory's porcelain toilet?"

"You're a pig, Spike." Buffy shoved him, as she stood up and went over to Hermione. "Are you sure you're okay now?" After Hermione nodded, Buffy placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'll get you some water, then."

Hermione held her stomach, once again not looking very well.

"'Thar she blows," Spike muttered disgustedly as Hermione threw up on her and Draco's sheets.

--

"Rory," Joey called her friend into the hall. Rory nodded at Joey, following her out to the place where Joey was standing. "Uh, we sort of have a situation…two, in fact."

Rory closed her eyes, groaning. "I'm incredibly sleepy, Jo. What could it be?"

"Kate's in the kitchen, crying her heart out…and there's sort of some puke situation in the living room due to Hermione's illness," Joey explained, chuckling a bit. "The throw-up is being cleaned up at the moment, but new sheets have been requested."

"Ugh, gross," she muttered. "And what about Kate?" she asked as she went into the linen closet to get the much needed clean sheets.

"Bella told me she had some kind of fight with Sawyer," Joey replied worriedly. "Rory, I think it's time to…you know."

Rory handed the sheets to her friend, looking confused and extremely groggy. "I know what?"

"Talk to Kate about everything."

"First of all, do you really think it's the perfect moment right now?" Rory asked skeptically. "She's upset, and I think that you yelling at her isn't going to make it better."

Joey shrugged, looking like she was thinking about it. "But maybe that's it. Maybe she's sick of lying to us and--"

"I don't think I'm ready to take that chance, Jo," the blue-eyed brunette snapped. "And I also don't think it's very polite to attack a person in front of all these people. You're not going to ruin this day for me more than it's been ruined already," she went on.

"But Rory, I just can't take it anymore. I'm worried about having her here after all that's happened," Joey explained. "She's a fugitive. I just can't sleep alright with her just…being here."

Rory shook her head. "Then maybe you should return to your _locked _house." She turned on her heel and left her friend standing there.

"Rory!" she called after her friend, but it was no use.

--

Bella peered unsurely into the kitchen, stopping in the doorway when she saw Kate hunched over in a chair, sniffles coming from her direction. "Are you alright?" She asked out loud, walking closer to Kate.

Kate turned her head to look at Bella. "What? Oh…No, I'm fine," she assured Bella, rubbing her eyes.

"I'm pretty sure I can say otherwise," she gave a half-hearted smile, trying to lighten the mood. "Do you need anything?"

"Seriously, I'm fine," Kate persisted, inhaling a shaky breath. "I just need a moment."

Ignoring her plead, Bella sat down next to Kate. She smiled softly at her. "You know, I went through a similar thing with Edward," she began. "Not so much fighting, rather than an awfully painful breakup."

Kate just nodded, unsure of what to say to the girl.

"From the looks of your fight, you both really care about each other," Bella told Kate quietly. "You wouldn't fight so hard if you didn't care."

"That's a unique perspective," Kate murmured, wringing her hands in her lap. "You can't really tell those kinds of things from just observing, though."

Bella stood up, heading for the fridge, but continued talking. "He might just really be…_scared_, just like he told you."

"How am I supposed to know that when he won't even _talk_ to me," Kate muttered angrily, more to herself than to Bella. "It's like he has some sort of communication problem."

"It's mainly guys in general," Bella assured her lightly, preparing the coffee machine. "Unless you find a good one out there."

Kate shrugged, sniffling slightly. "I just don't know how to make him realize…," Kate whimpered softly. "To realize that I _do_ care, and that I'm not running away from it this time."

"This isn't the first time it's happened?" Bella asked curiously, sitting down beside her to wait for the coffee.

"It's…well…It's a really long story," she admitted shyly. "You know that plane accident, Oceanic Flight 815?"

Bella looked lost in thought for a moment before her features lit up. "Yeah! I remember seeing the newscast a few months back."

"Well, we met there, on the island," she began explaining, but was interrupted by a squeal from Bella.

"That is _so_ romantic," she sighed, smiling at Kate.

"I thought…after we got rescued, that things would be different between us," Kate sighed dejectedly, rubbing her hand over her face. "Obviously I was wrong."

Bella got up, noticing that the coffee was finished, and began pouring it into two mugs. "You're newlyweds, right?" Kate nodded. "It's an adjustment period. Mostly everyone says that the first two years are hardest."

Kate shrugged, not really agreeing. She was positive most, _average_ newlywed couples didn't have to be on the run constantly from the law, because one of the spouses was a wanted fugitive. "I just don't know what I did wrong," she murmured softly.

"Hey, Bella," came Joey's voice from the kitchen's doorway. "Can you give me a few minutes?" she requested, giving the young girl a fake smile. Once Bella had nodded and was off, she sat down. "Thank you," she whispered after Bella.

Kate looked at Joey with a surprised expression. She never thought that Joey would be the one to comfort her next. But by the determined expression that Joey wore, Kate's instincts told her that her motive wasn't making her feel better.

"Uh," Joey started unsurely. "I'm not really sure how to bring this about without being…well, rude…but, I--"

"Hey guys. What's up?" Buffy had now entered the kitchen also, making her way to the fridge.

"Uhm…" Kate drifted off.

Buffy smiled at her. "I'm just here for some water for Hermione. Continue like I wasn't even here."

Buffy's surprise visit in the middle of Joey's monologue reminded Joey that they weren't alone and that if she was going to do this, she would have to be discrete. Joey knew Rory was mad, and she would be furious if she knew that Joey had upset Kate even more.

"You were saying," Kate provided.

"Right." Joey clapped her hands together, trying to get her sentence out. She looked at Kate straight in the eye, trying to get her point across as she said the next words. "I know."

"You know?" Kate questioned, looking deep in thought. "Sorry for being a bit confused…but what do you know?" It couldn't be what she thought it was…no. How could Joey…but then again, the fugitive's warning was still running everywhere.

Joey saw Kate's face whiten. "I know you're a fugitive," this sentence was one that Joey had never thought that she would even think about before she met Kate.

"I…" she started lamely. "I mean, I don't—I don't know what to say."

Joey felt confidence swell up inside her. "You can start by explaining yourself."

"Are you going to give me up?" Kate asked instead.

"I don't know," Joey admitted sheepishly. "I mean, you're not helping your situation by keeping us in the dark. You seem harmless enough, but I don't know how I can just blindly trust you…"

"Oh," said Kate, bowing her head a little.

"I don't mean to offend you or anything…but Rory and I have families to think about."

Kate looked up at Joey, her face looking like a scared little child. "Rory knows too?" She shook her head after seeing Joey nod. "God, this is so messed up." She stood up quickly. "We'll leave town, I swear. You don't have to call the police. I mean, I'm harmless, I promise."

"Kate," Joey interrupted her rant. "I just…I can't let you do that."

Kate's features darkened. "I'm not going to give myself up, if that's what you're asking me to do. I won't."

"I don't want to call the police, I don't."

"Then don't!" Kate exclaimed. "Why is everything so hard for you? I told you I'm harmless. I won't hurt anyone. I mean," she began, brushing away tears. "can you actually picture me doing any harm to James…or anyone?"

"You're a fugitive," Joey contradicted. "You couldn't have just done nothing to deserve the whole FBI out on the look for you, the most wanted fugitive in the country."

"I did what I had to do," Kate said firmly. "I would never hurt anyone unless they posed a threat to--"

"You," Joey finished. "A bit selfish, don't you consider? I mean, _you're _being a little selfish in all. There's no excuse for hurting innocent people."

"What if they weren't so innocent?" Kate retorted, sitting back down at the kitchen table. "What if they hurt other people, and I was the only person who had the courage to do something about it?"

Joey put her head in her hands, looking troubled. "I can't keep on talking about this when I don't know what I'm dealing with. _Who _I'm dealing with."

"I hurt my step-father," she said quickly, looking down at her hands. "I hurt him because he would hurt my mother. I thought I was doing the right thing…but apparently, I just made matters worse for my mom. She didn't appreciate what I did." Kate thought back to the last conversation she had had with her mother. She pictured her mother's hurt face, and it just made Kate's conscious worse.

"I have a feeling that no one would appreciate their daughter killing--"

"A horrible man," Kate finished for her. "He was a horrible man and he deserved it. I wouldn't take it back."

"Well, then, I guess you leave me no choice," Joey lamented, standing up and reaching for the phone. 

"Wait!" Kate exclaimed. "Please don't. Hold on and hear me for a second first." She needed to get Joey to believe her, or she would lose everything and everyone she loved. Sawyer wasn't there for her at that moment, and she had a feeling that he wouldn't be there when the cops arrived. "Please, just don't."

Joey looked at Kate nervously, taking a seat once again, but leaving the phone nearby. "I like you, okay? I really do. I don't think you look like a bad person or anything. It's just that if we keep you here without calling the police, it's breaking the law, Kate. I'm not going to break the law just so you can have a little vacation out of the jail cell when I'm pretty sure you deserve to take all the time you can get to think about what you did."

"You're not like Jack, are you?" she asked, making Joey even more confused. "Jack was the doctor on the island, and he was always a practical one. I'm sure he disliked me at some point for what I did. I'm sure he hated me. But I always knew that he understood what I did to some degree. He understood why I needed to…just…take him out of my life." She let her tears get the best of her. "Sawyer doesn't even know what I did. I mean, he knows that I've killed a…a man," Kate was careful not to reveal Sawyer's secret also. "But he doesn't know why or who…he's never even asked. Not really."

"See, that's something I don't understand," Joey pointed out, her anger rising. "How he can just let you get away with something like murder."

Kate looked at Joey, smiling a bit. "I guess its love, you know? I guess he loves me and knows me enough to know that I wouldn't do anything _so _horrible. I haven't asked him or anything." Her eyes were red from the crying, but she didn't even bother to stop the tears. "I love him too. And yes, you say it's horrible that our love fogs all of the horrible things that we've done. Forgive and forget. He doesn't forget, but he does forgive me."

Joey looked interested in this, feeling a bit guiltier with every word Kate spoke.

"And after you get past all those horrible things…it's a good feeling. After you forget why we're running, we're as normal as anyone else," Kate continued. "And I know you don't understand how I can do those things and still live without huge regret…and it's because you don't know anything about me, Joey. You don't. So if you want, call the police, do whatever the hell you want…but, I'm not going to sit here and watch you. I'm going to go and make up with Sawyer," with that last sentence, she stood up leaving a puzzled Joey behind, debating what she should do.

--

Spike sighed heavily, turning away from looking at Buffy. He was tired of looking at her. He didn't want to look at her. He wanted to do several other things with her, but he didn't want to just _look. _He groaned, rubbing his temples in frustration.

Looking back at her once more, he thought '_To hell with this'_, before nudging her shoulder gently.

She barely stirred.

He continued to repeatedly nudge her, occasionally running his knuckles over her face, thinking a softer approach would work.

He had no such luck.

When he was about to stop, she rolled over angrily, her eyes narrowed as she glared at him. "_What_ do you want?"

"Jus' want some slayer lovin'," Spike responded smugly, leaning in, his nostrils flaring.

"Did you actually just say that? 'Cause I'd _have_ to stake you," she said, closing her eyes again.

He waited one exact minute before waking her up, just to bug her. He obviously succeeded, seeing as she practically shoved him off the bed when he nudged her again. "Hey! Careful there, pet, almost let me fall on top 'o pukie."

"Hermione," Buffy corrected, shoving him once again, but a bit less hard. "_Spike. _I'm trying to sleep and you're distracting me from my peace."

"You're groggy, luv."

Her eyes suddenly looked very awake, as she put her fingernail on top of his chest, where his heart was. "You know what? I'm really dying to get a good slay out of my system," she whispered, her voice highly threatening. "And you just happen to be the only thing close that turns to dust in a five feet radius."

"'Ey, not so loud, Buff," he teased, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Mr. and Mrs. Pukes-a-lot'll hear ya."

"Can you stop that? The poor girl is sick; she's getting much needed rest."

Spike shook his head. "You're not sick…why don' you come out an' play?"

"Spike, you're a pig, if I don't say this enough times a day," Buffy stated, turning away from him and closing her eyes once again.

Spike rolled his eyes, putting an arm around her and landing a hand on her stomach, drawing soft circles with his thumb. Maybe if he was a bit more _caring _like she wanted him to be, he would get some tonight. Once again, no such luck. She simply put her hand on top of his' and let out a content sigh. Spike exhaled a bored breath, feeling her chest heave up and down from her long breaths, which signified she was fast asleep. He knew his slayer.

Minutes after watching her face in the moonlight (he felt as if he was in one of those nancy-boy chick flicks), he felt even more bored than before he had woken Buffy up. He looked down at the small mattress that basically occupied the floor, and there, lying peacefully was Hermione. He looked at her curiously, noticing that her boy toy wasn't keepin' her company. 

Startled, he jumped when Draco walked in through the doorway. Being too caught up in waking Buffy, he must not have noticed him leave.

"Where 'ave you been?" Spike asked, turning to face him. "Didn' even notice you leave."

"Of course you didn't," said Draco, as if he was pointing out the obvious. "You're so wrapped up in your girl." He gestured towards Buffy's sleeping figure.

"Got nothin' else to do," he said in his defense, shrugging.

Draco snorted. "I think you're the one who's on the tight leash. She's even got you watching her while she sleeps."

"Like you don't watch yours," Spike quipped, gesturing towards Hermione on the ground.

They lapsed into silence, both of them looking around the room awkwardly.

Spike turned towards Draco. "You feelin' a bit peckish?" He asked him, standing up and heading towards the door. "I'm sure this house is just loaded with goodies."

Draco shrugged, following him through the door. "Do y'know how to make coffee?"

"You should 'ave that conversation with your bird, mate," Spike sneered, turning on the light in the kitchen. "I'm very much the culinary type, thank you very much."

"Well, what are you going t' do about it?" Draco asked, his amused face watching Spike cringe at all the food in the fridge. "'Doesn't look like you have much of an appetite, considering you put back every other piece of food that you--"

"I 'ave a very peculiar diet," as he said this, Spike laughed at himself, settling to just drink a cup of water. He should have remembered to bring his blood with him, and at the moment, Draco was looking tastier by the minute. "What about you? What are your wants and needs?"

"I can make myself a piece of toast, thanks," Draco answered, opening the refrigerator door himself.

Spike sat down, sipping at the water. It tasted like…nothing. That was it. It tasted disgustingly like nothing. "You from England, then?" he asked out of the blue, starving for some conversation.

"Uh-huh," said Draco, obviously confused by the toaster. "You wouldn't know how to--"

"What part of England?" Spike inquired further.

"I moved around a lot, but my longest place of residence was…uh, Surrey…Surrey England."

"That's nice," commented Spike, just to be polite. Buffy would maybe like it if he and this wanker became friends. "But I enjoy Italy much more, o'course."

"'Been there a couple times." Draco nodded at Spike, settling on eating the bread nice and cold. It was ridiculous the way these muggle machines worked. He sighed, biting into his 'dinner'. "'Liked Paris much more, though."

"I find Italy more adventurous," Spike mused, thinking back to his days with Drusilla. They traveled all across Europe together, causing civil wars and mass slaughters. At the moment, guilt rose in the pit of his stomach. He remembered all the lives he took, and he was suddenly relieved to be in this warm kitchen, even if it was with not-so-enjoyable company.

"There's something about the lights that made it more…elegant."

Spike raised an eyebrow at the blond. "If you like Paris so much, why are you residing in this two-star town at the moment?"

"Hermione wanted to come here…to America. She finds it interesting, the culture, and all," Draco tried to explain nervously. "She said that this would be a nice change of scenery."

Spike scoffed. "'Culture here is McDonalds and football. It's a wonder that I even moved here after how much I hated Sunnyhell."

"Sunnyhell?" Draco laughed.

"Sunny_dale_," Spike corrected himself, a mocking tone in his voice. "It was on top of the hellmo--" he stopped himself just in time. Draco gave him a confused look. "On top of the--," he couldn't think of the cover. "It was just hell," Spike said finally.

"Right," Draco said with a bit of skepticism in his voice. "So why did you move back?"

"Buffy and her pals moved to Rome, after a horrible…uh, horrible earthquake struck the town. I went to L.A to work with an associate of mine from a while ago…stupid git couldn't even be bothered to wash out that stupid hair gel of his'," Spike ranted.

Draco's eyes wandered up to Spike's very bleached head, and he had to stifle a snicker. "By the way, how did that," he pointed up to Spike's head. "happen?"

Spike's hands went to his head, and Draco could see he was feeling very self-conscious. "The chicks dig it," he replied after a few seconds. "It makes me unique out of all the blokes out there," he defended himself…or rather, his hair.

"Is that…bleach?" Draco chuckled.

"Oh, please, like your hair's original," Spike scoffed. "Look at that! It just kind of lays there looking blond. It doesn't even 'ave real shape to it, either. 'Looks like your mum cut it."

"At least my hair doesn't--"

They were interrupted by the sound of a small foot being stomped against the kitchen floor. They turned their heads and saw little James, looking tired and rubbing his eyes.

"Sorry, pipsqueak, did we wake you up?" Spike asked, not really caring.

James rolled his eyes. "You are very bad boys," said James, referring to Draco and Spike.

"Don't know what you mean, there," Draco stated, looking at James's Ninja Turtles pajamas.

James sighed, running a hand through his short, dark brown hair. "It's sleep time!" he exclaimed, jumping up and down. "Are you _intompetent_?"

"Incompetent," Draco corrected idly, watching the little boy's figure with amusement.

"Whatever," James responded, dismissing Draco. "You two are very bad boys. Mommy said that _everyone _was a'pposed to go to bed!" He narrowed his eyes at Spike. "And it's not snack time!"

"We're very sorry, lil' one, but I think grown ups can do whatever the hell they want without a two foot tall midget imposing on their doings."

Draco raised an eyebrow at Spike's meanness, but saw that he got no reaction out of James. "Again, we're very sorry. Why don't we all just go to sleep like your mum said?"

"You're very bad boys," James reprimanded. "And when Mommy finds out that you guys had snack time when you were a'pposed to be sleeping, she's gonna be _so _mad."

"Alright, you win this time, boy," Spike gave up, throwing his hands in the air. "But don't you think for a minute--"

James groaned, stomping his foot down again. "Can you talk normal? Everyone in this house talks so weird!"

Draco smiled at him and stood up, ruffling his hair as he went past him. But James didn't let it slide this easily. He grabbed onto Draco's arm and led him back to the kitchen. "Uh-uh, mister! Jail time, for you!"

"I knew I 'ad no patience for kiddies," Draco heard Spike mumble behind them.

"_Jail_-what?" Draco reiterated.

Spike rolled his eyes. "Jail-_time_, you half-wit." Obviously, he had no patience for anyone at this hour. Buffy was going to be immensely mad at him.

"Is smile-time over?" Draco snapped, sensing the change in Spike's mood.

James ignored them, and let them argue behind him as he grabbed both of them and led them into the hallway.

"It's time for you two to learn your lesson," he explained to them, dragging them towards the bathroom. "You have to learn to listen to my mommy," he told them. "She's the boss 'round here, _duh_."

Spike rolled his eyes, though he continued to follow the little man, not wanting to cause a scene while the entire household was asleep. "Now, what exactly are you yakking about?" Spike asked the boy.

James let go of both of their hands, turning around while throwing his hands in the air in exasperation. "I _told_ you, stop talking so funny. There aren't any yaks here, mister. Mommy doesn't' let me have pets."

Draco chuckled, shaking his head at the exchange between the two.

James dramatically rolled his eyes, grabbing one hand from each of them before walking a few more steps and stopping. "Now, get in there, and don't come out until I say so!" He told them, shoving them both in from behind and slamming the door.

"Stupid little bugger," Spike muttered, walking over to the door and turning the doorknob. It didn't budge. "Bloody wonderful," he uttered sarcastically. He motioned towards the door. "It's locked." 

"Oh, you _can't_ be serious," said Draco, walking over to the door and trying the handle. It didn't move for him either. He jostled the door a bit, pounding on it with his fist a few times before backing away, clearly angry. "Little wanker, always pissin' around."

Spike nodded in agreement, taking a seat on the bathroom. He had no idea how the boy had managed to lockthem _inside_ the bathroom, but he had, and now he was stuck with some man he barely knew until someone decided they needed to use the bathroom.

--

Kate yawned, more out of adjusting to being awake rather than being tired, and rested her head on Sawyer's shoulder.

"You think you can jus' make this all better by prancin' in last night and doing your womanly thing, huh?" He asked her, a smirk dawning his face as he glanced at her from the corner of his eyes.

"Everything _is_ all right, right?" Kate asked him, meeting his gaze for confirmation. She gave him a small smile when he nodded, leaning up to kiss him softly. Kate hummed into their kiss and sighed happily as she pulled away. "God, do you know how much I didn't like that whole constant fighting thing?"

Sawyer nodded. "I know what'cha mean."

"I'm happy," she said contently. "I feel like I'm going to start prancing through the fields like Snow White. That's how happy I am."

"I'm no prince," he replied.

"I don't think I want you to be." Kate grinned at the southern blonde and kissed him once more.

Just then, Joey trudged into the room tiredly, her face bowed as she attempted to rub the sleep out of her eyes. Waddling over to the table, she took a seat, and finally looked up to find Kate sitting across from her.

"Joey," she greeted her indifferently, nodding.

"Kate," Joey said back, giving her a small smile.

"What'd you do last night, after we talked?" Kate asked her, trying to sound nonchalant, though the question meant a million different things to both of the women.

"Straight to bed," she responded quietly, shrugging slightly. "I guess I was tired." Glancing at the pair, Joey was a little glad that she hadn't done anything to jeopardize Kate's life. She obviously looked happy, sitting there cuddling with Sawyer. She didn't seem like the kind of person who would honestly do what she did out of contempt, especially now as she saw her being so caring with her husband.

Unknowingly, Kate let out a sigh of relief before turning her attention back to Sawyer.

A few moments later, both Draco and Spike dragged themselves into the kitchen, each man wearing looks of complete exhaustion.

A chuckle was heard from the table, and immediately Spike's head snapped up to glare at Edward. He gave him a look that clearly said 'not a sound'. He obviously didn't listen, because he turned to Bella and began speaking quietly to her.

"Wonderful," Draco muttered, taking a seat next to Hermione. Spike followed, sitting next to Buffy, who was seated alongside Hermione. "We're the laughing stocks of the house."

Hermione giggled, already knowing of their situation. "It's really nothing to drive yourself _barmy_ about," she stressed to him. "He's just a little boy."

"That little _thing_ can be classified as anything _but_," said Spike as he leaned across Buffy to speak to Hermione.

Buffy snickered, her hand coming up to cover her mouth to attempt and stifle the laugh. Spike just glared at her, returning to his position with his back against the chair. "Honestly, they should get some sort of a leash for that bugger."

"Cut him some slack," she said to him. "He obviously knows the saying 'there's a consequence for every action'."

"Yeah," he snorted, rolling his eyes. "I think I'm going to start some sort of riot to make that saying illegal."

"The snuggling you and Draco were doing when I walked in should be illegal," Edward quipped.

"Snuggling?" Buffy and Hermione laughed.

Draco shook his head vigorously. "It was cold, and it was Mr. Clorox Bleach over here that kept on rolling over _on top o' me._"

Edward glanced at Draco and then back at Spike, an amused glint in his eyes. "Oh, I know he was on top of you."

Spike sent him a death glare and rolled his eyes. "Oh, bugger off, and go back to snogging your minor."

They all returned to their own conversations, the room falling into a quiet rumble of voices.

Hermione turned abruptly to Draco, her eyes wide as her face paled. "I…I'll be right back," she told him in a rushed voice, bolting out of the kitchen.

Draco's brows furrowed as he watched her leave, unsure of where she was going. He got up from his seat, following her into the hallway. He saw the last of her hair as she flew around the corner, and so he followed her. He ended up hearing the door slam while he was halfway there, and he assumed she had gone into the bathroom, considering where they were sleeping didn't have a door.

Stepping towards the door, he knocked tentatively on the door. The only thing he needed to hear was Hermione heaving before he bounded through the door. "Are you alright?" he asked her once he was inside.

The only response he received was a shrug of her shoulders as her back arched and her head lurched farther into the toilet bowl. He grimaced as he heard the sounds of her being sick, but he stayed where he was, worried something was really wrong with her. It wasn't the first time she had thrown up, and it had been the third in succession after last night. She hadn't eaten much, and what she had eaten, Rory had prepared. From experience, he knew Rory was alright in the kitchen, and he was positive she hadn't made anything lethal in the small amount of time they had been staying there. He had eaten the food himself and he was completely fine. "Hermione, how…why are you getting sick so often?"

She flushed the toilet, brining her gaze to meet his from where she sat on the ground. "Something must be wrong," she said, almost silently.

He nodded in agreement. "We should head to a doctor, just to suss out the situation. Obviously there's something wro-," he was interrupted with the door opening and someone knocking. He glanced over at the door and saw Rory standing there, a bashful smile on her face.

"Can I have a few seconds with her?" Rory asked politely, motioning towards Hermione.

Draco looked towards Hermione for confirmation and she nodded. "I'll be fine," she assured him. "I'll meet you back in the kitchen in a bit."

He nodded, giving Rory a smile before exiting the bathroom.

"Do you have any idea why you've been so sick lately?" Rory asked her curiously, perching on the edge of the bathtub.

Hermione shrugged unsurely. "I'm not all too sure."

Rory nodded. "Did you eat bad food…?" She trailed off, offering suggestions.

"I've only eaten yours."

"Well, no wonder," Rory said with a roll of her eyes. "Didn't I tell you it was lethal?'

Hermione laughed. "I'm sure it isn't your fault. No one else is feeling ill."

"You never know," Rory continued. "You might have gotten the bad portion."

Hermione giggled quietly, and they lapsed into an awkward silence.

Rory broke the silence timidly. "You know, judging from the looks of you and Draco, there's always the possibility that you could be…" she trailed off, hoping Hermione got the gist of it.

Hermione's head snapped up, eyes wide with alarm. "Pregnant?"

Rory nodded, her brows furrowing at her reaction. She thought that Hermione would be happy to find out news like this. "Yeah. Is there something wrong with that?"

"No!" Hermione cried. "Well, no," she said more softly. "But it's just…Draco and I, we're not quite there yet." She wasn't sure if she was explaining correctly.

"I don't understand," Rory replied, looking confused.

"We just got engaged," Hermione clarified. "This is horrible timing."

"Sometimes things don't happen at the exact time they're supposed to, you know?" Rory patted Hermione's hand encouragingly. "But maybe this can even bring you closer together. You'll get married soon, right?"

Hermione nodded silently.

"Then this might be wonderful."

Hermione wrung her hands in her lap, thinking about the news they had received the day before. Lucius knew their location. How were they supposed to handle a _pregnancy _on top of the large threat that was Draco's father. Everything would have to change to accommodate a baby. Just thinking of the possibility made her shake her head.

"What's wrong?" Rory inquired, clearly not knowing what was making her so upset.

"There's no way this can happen," she stated. "It just can't."

"I know it seems scary--"

"It's not just scary," Hermione interrupted sharply. "It's horrifying. Draco and I don't need this load on us. Not now."

Rory bit her bottom lip, visibly at a loss on what to say next. "Hey, maybe it's not true…" Hermione looked up, her eyes wide and suddenly full of hope. "Yeah. Maybe you're just stressing yourself out for no reason, and the test will come out negative."

Hermione smiled shakily. "Draco wants me to go to a doctor."

"Maybe that's best. He seems like he'll support you no matter what," said Rory as reassuringly as she could. She remembered back when she had found out that she was pregnant. Jess had freaked out. Maybe Draco would be different…

"I don't want to go to a doctor," Hermione confessed. "Maybe I'll just wait and see. I don't have to take the test, do I?"

Rory frowned. She knew if _she _was pregnant again, she would want to know. Not that she ever planned on that happening in the near future.

_Knock. Knock._

"'Mione?"

"One moment," Hermione said to Draco through the door. She turned to Rory, her eyes watering slightly. "What do I do?"

"I…don't know." Rory looked at the younger girl sympathetically. She had no idea what to do in this situation.

"Thank you for the chat," Hermione said appreciatively, rising to her feet. "I appreciate the advice. I don't have anybody else to talk to."

"I hope I could help…" Rory grabbed Hermione's extended hand and chuckled as Hermione pulled her to her feet. "I'm not sure that I _did _do anything…but--"

"No," Hermione cut Rory off, her face softening subtly. "You did."

Hermione then nodded slightly and made her way to the door, inhaling sharply when she saw Draco standing out in the hall, leaning against the wall casually.

"You alright, love?" Draco asked worriedly, walking towards her and running his hand down her arm. "You've got goosebumps all over…"

Hermione withdrew from his grip briskly and crossed her arm. "I'm ready to head home, Draco."

"I asked Jess where I could find a good hospital 'round here," Draco said instead. "He told me how to get there."

"I don't think that's the best idea," Hermione whispered, conscious on how many people were watching them from the kitchen. "We've got more serious problems on our hands."

"Right now, you're my only concern," Draco told her, his face stern.

"Draco--"

"I'm very au fait with this little argument," Draco chuckled. "Because you never even think about taking care of yourself. Always thinkin' of others. Come on, love, we're gonna help you get better."

Hermione finally smiled, holding back tears, and kissed him lightly on the corner of his mouth. "Alright. Let's go."

"Thank you," Draco sighed, putting his arms around her.

"I'm just not too sure you can fix me," Hermione whispered into his shoulder.


	16. Oh, Teacup

A/N: Hey, guys. We're really sorry that we took so long updating! But anyway, here it is and we hope you enjoy it.

--

Lost in Mystic CreekChapter 16

_**Oh, Teacup**_

"Rory," Joey stated into the phone, sighing heavily. "How am I supposed to get this all done before this weekend?"

"Jo, I told you to just push the date. You haven't sent the invitations or anything," She suggested. "There's no harm in it."

"I already pushed the date up!" Joey exclaimed, dropping the invitation she was working on onto the table.

Rory just rolled her eyes, placing the scissors she was using on the table. She was already used to the Joey's outbursts over the baby shower. They had gotten together early that morning to get everything set up and working for the party, and already Joey had threatened to move the date three times.

"Then keep the date, and hustle with the invitations," said Rory, handing her the rest. "Seriously, Joey, you're stressing yourself out over nothing."

"Over nothing?" Joey shouted, standing up and waddling to the refrigerator. She poured herself a glass of water and took a deep breath.

"Now, ladies, ladies. As much as I would _love_ to witness a catfight between the two of you, it's just not healthy for the baby," Pacey remarked as he walked into the kitchen.

Joey scoffed, downing the rest of her water. "I know what's healthy and what's not, thank you very much. I'm the one who has to push this baby out of—,"

"As you so _kindly_ like to remind us every moment you can," Pacey interrupted, shutting his eyes and shaking his head in disgust.

Joey just giggled quietly as she made her way back to the table where Rory was sitting. "Now, leave us alone before I give you another birth prep talk."

"And it's nap time for Pacey, kddos. Nice to see you, Rory. Please be understanding for my rushed exit," he stated as he almost ran out of the kitchen and into the living room, the television turning on moments after.

When Joey heard the television turn on, she turned to Rory, speaking in a hushed voice. "I have something to tell you…" Joey trailed off.

Rory looked at Joey questioningly. "Go on, you can tell me."

"Well, remember what I told you I was going to do. You know, confront Kate about being a fugitive?" she explained.

Rory nodded, motioning for her to continue.

"I went through with it," Joey said in a hurried voice, giving Rory an ashamed look. "I really just wasn't comfortable with staying overnight in a house with a person that had done…something horrible enough to be wanted by the FBI."

"You did it, even when you knew something was going on between her and Sawyer?" Rory asked her, beginning to get mad. "Especially then, when there were several other people who could have walked in."

Joey nodded, beginning to look apologetic for confronting Kate. "I just wasn't sure what else to do. She just made me feel so uncomfortable."

Rory sighed heavily, dropping the invitation she was working on and focusing her attention on Joey. "What did Kate have to say in her defense?"

"She explained to me what she had done, and how she felt it had been the right thing to do, considering the circumstances," Joey described softly. "She told me if I actually believed she was a good person inside, then I wouldn't jeopardize everything she had with Sawyer, and the rest of her life, to turn her in."

"You sound like you're beginning to forgive her," said Rory, giving Joey a suspicious look. "Even if her explanation made it sound right, doing whatever she did and running away from it, becoming a _fugitive_, doesn't make it right."

Joey let out a long breath, nodding. "I know, I know. They just looked so happy together. Her and Sawyer."

Rory shrugged, agreeing. "They're newlyweds. That's as cute as it gets in a marriage."

Joey nodded knowingly, turning again to Rory. "So, should I invite her to my baby shower?"

"Well, there's no beating around the bush for you, is there Joey?" Rory laughed awkwardly, wringing her hands in her lap.

Joey gave a sheepish smile, shrugging her shoulders. "I'm not really looking forward to having a fugitive at my party, but…"

"…Her and Sawyer would be the only ones not invited, right?" Rory finished, looking Joey in the eye.

Joey nodded, letting out a heavy sigh.

"But then again," Rory continued. "It's _your _baby shower and you can do whatever you want. Nobody else should have a say in it."

"Ugh." Joey put her head in her hands. "I can't deal with this Kate thing right now."

"Then don't. You have more important things to concentrate on, like your invitations," Rory pushed a stack of them towards her. "You said you wanted to do them all yourself, because it felt more like _your_ party if you made them all by hand."

"I'm beginning to rethink that decision."

"Too late now," Rory told her, cutting more invitations out of the detailed paper they had bought for the invitations. "Your party is only a week away, and hiring a planner would take longer than that. So get cutting, sister."

--

"Your eyes are not closed, and I know it, pet."

"Ugh," Buffy groaned. "Why do I even _have _to close my eyes? I have super slayer senses. I think I can smell or sense whatever freaky sex toy you have out there."

Spike cringed. "Ey," he protested. "I said I was sorry last time." He shrugged his shoulders, grinning wickedly. "So what if the kinky stuff doesn't work for us? Who needs those blow-up dolls?"

"You're a pig, Spike," she told him.

"Please, Slayer," he said. "That comment is becoming even more redundant than my 'bloody hell!'."

"And that's saying something," said Buffy pointedly.

"Okay. You distracted me."

"I know." She smiled as she turned around and pounced on him, hooking her legs around his narrow, bony hips.

Spike rolled his eyes, supporting her with his hands on her bottom. "This is becoming old."

"_I_ am?" She pouted, sticking out her bottom lip.

"No," he said, as if she were suggesting the most ludicrous idea. "This little stand-in-the-doorway routine."

"Okay!" She exclaimed, exasperated. "I'll close my eyes if it will make you happy."

"Very much so, darling."

"I'm not darling," she grumbled before closing her eyes. She was about to take a step forward when she felt his cool, pale fingertips over her eyes, while his other hand enveloped one of her hands.

"Take one step forward, Miss," he instructed, his hoarse voice against her ear. She shivered. He chuckled. "It's moments like this, luv, that make me want to do something not so nice to your pure, innocent..._neck."_

_"_Are you trying to freak me out, Spike?"

"This shouldn't freak you out, pet," he told her, nearing his face to her shoulder. "You know I would never..." he drifted off, planting a loud kiss on the base of her neck. He pulled away hastily, which earned a whimper from Buffy. "Unless you asked me to. 'Cause I would have no problem with it then."

"Like if I would ever," she said shakily, her voice not very convincing.

"Just walk, teacup."

"Teacup?" Buffy complained, nearly tripping over the step towards the outside of their house. "_Please_."

"I'm running out of endearing nicknames."

Buffy laughed, her whole body shaking as she walked on her backyard. She suddenly smelled incense and her body stiffened.

"What's wrong, cup o' tea?"

"Is whatever I'm gonna see right now amazingly cheesy and cliché?" Buffy asked, already knowing the answer.

"It _is _amazing," Spike responded. He let his hands fall from her eyes. "Open your eyes, tea in a cup."

She didn't even scold him for using the annoying nickname when she saw her surroundings. She let out an awe-struck breath. "How did you do this without me seeing it?"

"Well, I'm exceptionally stealthy," he gloated, his blue eyes electric against the midnight moon. They were now used to staying up so late. It was the only time that there was peace and quiet in Mystic Creek.

Around them, spread out over their small yard, were little Christmas-like light bulbs, even if it was still a little too early for Christmas. All Buffy saw when she looked around were little blurs of light. All this light coming from one place caused her cheeks to get warm in the cool autumn air and her hands clam up unexpectedly. But then, maybe it wasn't just the heat of the lights.

She couldn't take her eyes off the lights, but she had to, eventually. There was a small, round table in the middle of the yard, right across from them, lit by candlelight. There, on the red tablecloth were two cups of wine and a tall bottle of wine.

"William," she finally said, turning to his oddly shadowy face. His face dropped, looking wistful when she said his pre-vampire name. His _real _name. He took in a long, unnecessary breath. "You don't look so bloody tonight," she told him softly, placing her hand on his cheek gently. "I would never have pictured that William the Bloody would be planning romantic evenings under the stars." Her face softened as his eyes closed.

When he opened his eyes again, his eyes looked playful and not so serious anymore. "Well, it wasn't easy getting to where I am, cup filled with sweet, _sweet _tea."

"I was never a fan of tea." Buffy scrunched up her nose. "What about coffee?"

"Well," he mused. "'Come 'ere', bitter coffee' doesn't sound the same as 'Come 'ere, sweet tea'."

"You know what? I never thought that I'd say this, but," she said. "Go back to calling me 'love'. I give you my full permission."

Spike's face lit up, taking her in his arms, and kissing her fiercely. "Love, love, love, love, love," he mumbled into her lips.

She pulled away. "Shall we?" She asked, gesturing towards their little table.

He nodded, leading her towards the ornate table. He pulled out her chair, giving her a cheeky grin as he walked towards the other side of the table.

"Now, I wasn't really plannin' on eatin' much," He told her, winking at her.

"That's not proper to say on a first date," Buffy replied, grinning.

"First date?" He asked, his eyebrows rising. "Love, this is more like the honeymoon stage of a marriage."

"Marriage?" Her eyes seemed to widen just a bit.

"Well, with our own little love shack smack in the middle of dullsville, and these peppy neighbors that just can't be bothered to leave us alone, I think it'd be safe t' say we're practically married." He raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"Just because we're stuck here, keeping ourselves hidden from those _demons_ that can't be bothered to leave us alone, doesn't make us practically _married_," she explained to him, her voice rushed. "I mean, I was with Angel longer and we didn't even…_discuss _marriage."

"Angel?" He asked angrily. "How can you even compare me to him?"

"I'm not comparing," she defended herself. "It's just…the relationship I had with Angel _felt_ more like we were married."

"Only 'cause he was as boring as a tool."

"I'm just saying," Buffy continued. "Our relationship hasn't reached that point yet." She took a hasty gulp of her wine. "It's not as serious," she added as an afterthought.

"Love, it was a simple observation. Didn't mean t' make you all hot and bothered about it," he told her, shaking her head. His eyes looked incredulous. "And what do y' mean, not _serious_? What else do you need? A bun in your oven?"

Buffy rolled her eyes. "You could never sit still long enough for us to…I don't know. Become something more than—than witty banter and long, wild nights." She shrugged. "It's all you know, Spike."

"Oh, yes," he muttered sarcastically. "Because this whole evening has been so passionate and wreckless. First, we watched the telly. Ooh, I can feel the heat. Then, I made my fear o' commitment very apparent as I helped you throw out the trash. Oh, and I'm pushing you away right now, as we sit down and drink wine under the bloody stars!"

Buffy looked down at her hands guiltily. "I didn't mean it like that. You've changed. I know that."

"But not enough for me to actually get you t' commit yourself to me," Spike said in a matter-of-fact voice.

"I thought what we have is enough," Buffy told him, confused. "I didn't think we needed to be married for you to be happy."

"I _don't_ think we need t' be married right now," he replied. "But I also didn' think that you'd feel so strongly opposed t' the idea. It was jus' a stupid comment."

"_I _don't think it's stupid. Marriage is…it's a huge deal, Spike," she told him. "I don't know how they did it in your day, back when you were in your prime, but it doesn't work like that anymore."

"In case you haven't noticed, _nothing_ has changed from when I was in my prime," he snarled. "People still believe in the same rubbish. Marriage is still obviously a _huge_ deal."

Buffy huffed angrily. "Back then, marriage meant losing your virginity. It wasn't that big of a deal. People just did it so they could screw," she finished with a scowl.

"Which brings me back to my first point," he bit out furiously. "We're practically _married_."

She gave him a bitter stare, downing the last of her wine. "What do you want me to say, Spike? Do you want me to say 'yes' and leap into your arms? So that we can end up like the unhappy couples that litter this street?"

"Un'appy?" Spike growled. "All of these people are so sickeningly sweet and chipper, they make me want t' puke out my soul."

"Sweet and chipper?" Buffy reiterated furiously, her eyes wide as she glared at him. "These people have more problems than the Hellmouth itself."

Spike deadpanned, his face challenging her to prove her statement right.

"I mean, have you looked at that Kate girl?" she told him, pointing towards the direction of Kate and Sawyer's house. "She told me her name was Jen, for crying out loud! Why would a sweet and chipper woman lie to me about her god damn name?"

Buffy watched as the anger left Spike, only to be replaced by confusion. "She…she lied t' you about 'er name?" He watched as she nodded. "And you didn't tell me?"

"Well, it didn't seem like too big a deal," Buffy told him honestly, shrugging. "Maybe she doesn't like talking to strangers?" Buffy suggested.

"I hate this ruddy neighborhood," Spike grumbled, standing up. "I'm going fer a walk. I need to…digest all o' this," he told her, motioning between them.

She just watched him walk away, not really sure what to do. "Spike!" But he just stalked into the darkness, not paying one bit of attention to her. She sighed, rubbing her temples and gulping down the rest of her wine.

--

Spike clenched his fists as he ambled down the street. All he could think of were Buffy's stupid words. _"It's not as __serious__." _ He _was _bloody serious. He wanted to marry her, for Christ's sake. Was that not serious enough for her? He looked around, but he was still not sure what he was looking for. He wished the whole fight hadn't happened and he was back in her arms, drinking blood…or even bleeding _water_, as long as he was with her. He would prove her wrong, he thought. Marriage _could _be a good thing, and he knew that for a fact.

"Bloody serious," he mumbled to himself.

Kate. Jen. Kate or Jen. He could talk to her. Yes, that was a plan. It was something to do before going back home, where he wasn't wanted.

As if the heavens heard his wish (which wasn't very likely, since he was a murderous vampire/demon), he saw the man that Kate/Jen was married to. He was standing outside what Spike assumed was his house, looking down at a cigarette doubtfully. Spike rolled his eyes and made his way up the man's lawn, not really caring if he was stomping on his grass with his black Combat boots.

"'Ello, mate," Spike called.

"Howdy, neighbor," the man shouted back sarcastically. Spike noticed that the man looked at him critically, and even a bit suspiciously. "What'cha doing on my side of the pond?"

"Walkin'," Spike responded, finally ending his long walk across the front yard. "'Saw you and I gathered that you might need some company."

The man's forehead wrinkled, his blonde hair now looking platinum against the moon's glow. "Okay. Enough with the pleasantries. Who the hell are ya?"

"Spike's my name," said Spike, trying his best to be polite. "I'm Buffy's significant other."

"Buffy and Spike," the man repeated. "Nice names," the sarcasm dripped off his voice.

Spike was already used to everyone ridiculing their names. "What's yours?"

"Sawyer."

Spike nodded slowly, wondering how he could get to the subject of his wife without sounding like he had ulterior motives. "Can I, uh…?" He gestured to the pack of cigerattes.

Sawyer sighed and placed the entire pack on Spike's incredibly ashen hand, compared to Sawyer's tanned one. "Have 'em all. The lady o' the house wants me t' quit anyway."

"What's her name?" Spike asked curiously.

"Kate," he said, with fondness. It was the only time that Spike saw his face soften from his normal, hard complexion. "She keeps naggin' me to get off these things. It's bad for my health, she says. I don't think she's a health expert or anythin', but women are supposed t' know about these things."

"Supposed to," Spike agreed, although he couldn't help thinking that Buffy had never once urged him to quit. Maybe it had to do with the fact that he was immortal…or maybe she just went nutty for the bad boy thing.

"I'm headin' back in." Sawyer turned on his heel and just as he was about to open the door, Spike grabbed his arm. Sawyer turned to look at him, his face defensive. "What the hell is it?"

"I was wonderin' if I could have a word with your missus," Spike requested, not sure how he was coming off.

Sawyer shook his arm out of his grasp, looking thoroughly annoyed. "You know Kate?"

"Yes," Spike lied. "I met her the other day at the neighborhood sleepover."

"An' why should I trust you?" Sawyer asked viciously. "You look like a good ole fashioned creep to me."

"You don't _have _t' trust me," Spike replied easily, shrugging. "All I know is that you shouldn't be too quick to judge. I hear your wife's been throwing around some names."

"What the hell are you talkin' about?" Sawyer demanded, him now the one that was grasping Spike's shirt threateningly.

"She told Buffy tha' her name was Jen," Spike told him. "Explain _that_, cowboy."

Sawyer's face immediately whitened. Then, Spike definitely _knew _that something fishy was going on. But seconds later, Sawyer regained his composure. "Well, you must be the last one to know. I heard they already had a town meetin' about this. Were you excluded from that, by any chance?"

"And what were they discussing?" Spike asked, his lips curling into a grin. He could feel tension radiating off of Sawyer's body. He cared about this gal. A lot. He was trying to protect her. As he removed Sawyer's hands off his shirt, he tried his hardest not to let too much strength show. He could knock this wanker through the front door if he wanted to. "Has your gal been lyin' to the other friendly neighbors too?"

Sawyer growled. "Take a walk, Billy Idol. There's no way I'm gettin' into this wit' you."

Spike shook his head, and he had to practice his outmost self-control. First Buffy, and now this nit-wit. For god's sake, he wanted to rip someone's head off tonight. "Oh, and I was so looking forward to getting into a rough-an'-tumble with you," Spike spat. That was it. He could see steam coming out of the guy's ears.

"That's it," Sawyer yelled, practically charging towards Spike and connecting his fist with Spike's face. But it wasn't Spike who yelped in pain, it was Sawyer. He doubled back, holding his fist to his stomach. "Jesus Christ."

Then, the door flew open and out ran a thin brunette to Sawyer's side. "Sawyer! What happened?" She looked at Spike, confused.

"Jus' a bit of a misunderstanding," Spike told her, not in the least bit of pain. His face didn't bear one scar.

"Are you alright?" the brunette asked Sawyer, taking a look at his crippled fist. "How did you do this?"

Sawyer just groaned.

"Did you punch the wall or something?" She asked, worried.

Spike chuckled. "He punched my _face_."

"Oh," she said. "Who _are _you?"

"I'm Spike."

"Don't talk to him, Freckles," Sawyer muttered, finally regaining his strength.

Kate stood up shakily, looking at Spike curiously. "What happened? Why did Sawyer punch you?"

"I was interested in what the big secret around 'ere is," Spike stated, just a bit too loudly.

"Secret?" Just judging by the look on Kate's face, Spike knew that she was aware of what Sawyer punched Spike over. "What secret?"

Sawyer glared at Spike and grabbed Kate's arm. "Don' t talk to him."

"Shut up, Sawyer," she snapped, rolling her eyes.

Spike smirked. "Pretty tight leash there, mate."

"Shut up, Spark, or whatever the hell your name is," Sawyer groaned, inspecting his bloody hand. "You know what? You put a new meaning to being hard-headed."

Kate stifled a laugh, while Spike sighed. "Look, all I wanna know is what the bloody hell is going on around here. Buffy and I seem to be the only ones out o' the loop."

"Is Buffy your wife?" Kate asked.

Spike nodded shakily, remembering his last conversation with her. "You could say that." He looked at Sawyer quickly, and then back at Kate. "You know her, don't you?"

"Sure. I met her once, I think," Kate replied, obviously not thinking his question was relevant to what they were talking about.

"Well, I don' think she would know you by name, loose lips," Spike continued. "Does the name 'Jen' ring a bell?"

"No," Kate said confidently, but still all-too quickly. She soon realized what the name meant. Her breathing soon became unsteady, while her arms and legs felt like Jell-O. "Yes," she said, in a smaller voice. "I told her my name was Jen, didn't I?"

"Kate," Sawyer scolded her sternly, as if she had just signed her death. "Don't do this."

Kate bit her bottom lip nervously. "Don't you think everyone in this neighborhood has the right to know? Rory and Joey _already _know. He has a right too, James."

"James?" Spike practically yelled. "What the bleeding hell is wrong with you people? One minute you're one person, the next you're another! Is schizophrenia the big secret? I 'ave no problem with crazy people! You should have just said so."

"I wish," Sawyer mumbled under his breath.

"Please apologize to Buffy for me," Kate told Spike. She grabbed Sawyer's hand, clearly needing support for her husband, if he _was _her husband at all. Spike didn't know anymore. "My name _isn't _Jen," she took in a deep breath before continuing. "I'm a fugitive."


	17. Love and Marriage

_Lost in Mystic Creek_

_Chapter 1_

_**Love and Marriage**_

Hermione groaned as she pulled her head away from the porcelain bowl her head had just been submerged in. That had been the third time that morning, and frankly she didn't know what she was going to do. Draco had made it clear the type of danger they were in the moment he had received that letter from his father, and now she had gone and made everything three times as worse.

Everything had been going great in her home away from home here in Mystic Creek. This situation would have been the icing on the cake had it happened at another moment in time. Now it just came off as a burden, when in reality it shouldn't have been. She shook her head angrily, reaching for a wad of toilet paper to wipe her mouth. Flushing the toilet, she stood and glanced at her reflection in the mirror. Grimacing, she turned away and walked out of the bathroom into their hotel room. Because of their circumstances, Draco no longer wanted to stay in their home. So, they had opted for one of the suites at the local hotel, a few miles away from their old home. She walked into the small kitchenette of the room, pouring herself a glass of water. Behind her, she heard some shuffling and footsteps.

Turning away from the counter, she faced Draco. "I don't know if you recall, but we have Joey's baby shower today," she told him tiredly, placing her water on the table.

He shrugged, struggling with the buttons on his shirt. Hermione's furrowed as she watched him attempt to get the buttons in their respective holes. "Do you want help with that?"

He barely looked up at her as he shook his head, continuing to struggle with his shirt. Hermione sighed angrily as she walked over to him, removing his hands from the buttons and doing it herself. "You don't have to be such a girl about it, I was just trying to help," she said to him.

"Didn't think I needed it," he said quietly, looking away from her.

Hermione's head snapped up when he spoke, her nose crinkled in disgust. Her hands stopped as she peered over to the mini fridge that came with their room, noticing an empty space in the fridge. She made her way over to it, examining what was missing and quickly realized what. "Have you been drinking?" She asked him quietly, getting up slowly and turning around.

"What's it to you? I'm perfectly of age," he answered sharply, finally finishing the buttons on his shirt.

"I could care less whether or not you drink, it's the reason that caused you to drink that makes me a bit angry," she shot back, stepping closer to him.

"Can't a bloke have a drink without being questioned?"

"Honestly, at this time of day, no. Especially under our circumstances," she told him, her anger starting to surface. "I know that we're both stressed right now but that's really no reason to hanging around with your pal Jack Daniels."

"It's been a while, figured I'd get back in touch with him," he retorted, smirking as he grabbed his coat and umbrella. "Now, are we leaving? We'll be late if we don't head out now."

Fuming, she said nothing as she grabbed her coat and car keys, walking out the door without making sure he was following. Draco merely shrugged, fumbling with his coat zipper as he followed her to their car.

--

"Congratulations!" Rory exclaimed, throwing her arms around her best friend. Joey's bulging belly stood between them, and Rory laughed as she looked down at it. She went down on her knees and placed the palm of her hand at the top of Joey's stomach, where she imagined the baby's head would be. "Hello, baby. We're all very excited your coming soon." She beamed at the stomach.

Joey's eyes filled with tears.

Jess scoffed. "Rory," he said impatiently.

Rory looked up at him menacingly. "Jess, don't you remember how amazing this experience was for us?"

"No."

"Well, it was. And now Joey's going through the same experience. The most beautiful experience that anyone could every go through," Rory sniffled, standing up and embracing her friend once again.

At that moment Pacey entered the room. "Jeez, Jess, what did you do to them?"

Jess let out an exasperated breath. "Where is the booze?"

Joey pulled away from Rory quickly. "Jess, please. I am a pregnant woman. There will be no alcohol anywhere near this house for a very long time," she replied, even though the whole time she was looking at Pacey. "Pacey and I had a very long conversation about this. He knows the rules."

Pacey smiled and put his hands on his wife's shoulders. "Of course I know the rules, Jo."

Rory and Joey left the kitchen, both smiling and teary-eyed. Pacey turned to Jess the moment they were gone. "The booze is in the basement. Help yourself. But if Joey finds you, I'm dead."

"I'm not worried," Jess smirked and walked towards the basement.

--

It was only the beginning of the baby shower, but most of the people invited had already arrived. The guest list mostly consisted of the couples that resided in the cul-de-sac. It was a small party, but James was making sure that everyone felt comfortable and was having fun. He took it upon himself to go over to every couple and ask them if they would like to participate in his very anticipated hide-and-seek game. So far he had recruited Bella and Jess. Jess had only agreed because Rory made him, and Bella felt bad for James. She knew that not many of the people there would agree to a game of hide-and-seek with a four-year-old.

"Hello," James greeted Sawyer and Kate (who Joey had ended up inviting, deciding she should from now on approach life with a "Why not?" philosophy). "What's up?"

Kate smiled warmly at James and squeezed Sawyer's hand. "Hey, James. What are you up to?"

James said, "I'm going to play hide-and-seek with Daddy and the pretty girl over there." He pointed to Bella, who was currently trying to convince Edward to join in on James' game. "Do you know how to hide?" James asked Sawyer curiously.

"No," Sawyer deadpanned, knowing where the questionnaire was leading.

James laughed like a mad man, as if it was a joke. In James' mind it was impossible for Sawyer not to know how to hide. "You're silly!"

Sawyer looked at Kate, eyebrow raised. "'Am not," he muttered.

"Mommy saided that fudigives hide from the law cause they dided something bad," James explained. "So of course, Dummy, you know how to hide!"

Sawyer chuckled nervously. "Well I may know how to hide, but I don' know how t' seek."

"Oooooooh," James said, understanding. "Well, what about the lady of the house?" He looked at Kate with his big blue eyes and she almost couldn't resist him. The key word being almost.

"Oh, well, I'm very tired because I spent all day cleaning the house," Kate said. "'Seeing as I am the lady of the house and all."

James nodded comprehensively. "Oh, well. Maybe some other time." He shrugged it off and continued on his way.

"Look, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel bad or whatever," James heard Buffy say to Spike. He stared in amazement at his hair. He had begged his mom to dye his hair that color, but he had never been taken serious. His dad was the only one that was behind him, and agreed with the fact that James should dye his hair to match Spike's.

"Hey, guys!" He exclaimed, not knowing he was interrupting an intimate moment.

"Hey, lil' bugger," said Spike, who had been the only person who looked remotely happy to see him that day.

"Wanna play hide-and-seek with me?" James asked eagerly.

Buffy looked at James, trying to be as warm as she could be. "Um, Spike will join your game in a few minutes, James. We just need to finish our talk."

"Yes!" He yelled, and ran back to his father to share the news.

"Gee thanks," Spike mumbled.

"Spike."

"What, Buffy? What the bloody hell do you want me to say?" He had said that a little louder than he intended to, and he saw Hermione turn to look at them. She had just arrived, with Draco in tow. "Love, I've got nothing more t' talk about."

Buffy crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm trying to apologize, which is not one of my strong suits. But I do care about you, so I'm making an effort. Not like you, who is shutting me out. _I _should be mad. You came home at god knows what hour that night, and you won't tell me where you were."

"It doesn't matter, Buffy," Spike said sternly, not wanting to think about his run-in with Kate and Sawyer.

"You're right. It doesn't. But apparently I don't matter either since you don't want to accept my apology," Buffy said. "Now I know that we don't exactly have the most sane and loving relationship, but at least I'm trying to do something about it."

"So am I." Spike looked up at the cloudy sky. He wished that the sun would come out so he would have a legitimate reason to leave the soddin' party. "I'm no longer just bringing up the subject of marriage casually in a conversation, Love. Right here, right now, I'm askin' you to marry me."

Buffy looked at him and then looked away, shocked. She didn't think that the conversation was going to take this turn. At the least, it was a ridiculous idea to be married to Spike. He was _vampire _who had only recently gotten his soul back. Their relationship was still new, and she had only just owned up to her feelings. Only two years ago, Spike had been somebody who didn't even deserve her time. This was something new.

Spike waited for her to say something, and the worse thing was that he looked at her with this hope in his eyes that she could never understand. But now that she thought about it, it made sense. For Spike, Buffy was "the one". It was only a matter of time until he wanted to take this step.

She felt tears coming on. It was _Spike. _What was she going to do? Play house for the rest of her life? She'd grow old and Spike would stay the same. There was no sense in marrying him. They were too different. They were two completely different variables. Spike pursed his lips and she could feel the pain that was radiating around him and that was filling her from head to toe. She had never experienced this feeling with Spike before. She had felt the angst of a relationship with Angel, but never with Spike. Spike had just been a fun thing. Spike made her feel good. He was romantic, and he loved her. All these factors made her love him. He had done so much good. It killed her to hurt him in any way.

Finally, he spoke. "Forget it. I know there's no way. Don't stress yourself out, Love."

Buffy couldn't take it anymore. A tear spilled down from the corner of her eye, and she ran away from Spike quickly, trying to find somewhere she could be alone. It was weird, as if Spike was still her enemy, and she didn't want him to see her in a moment of weakness.

--

With a drink in her hand, Bella walked over to Edward, who was currently talking to Pacey. She tugged on his arm, giving him a small smile. He leaned down and gave her a kiss on her forehead, slinging his arm around her back. "So, how's the mother to be? I haven't seen her around," Bella asked Pacey.

Pacey laughed, shaking his head. "Honestly? Ever since she got pregnant that woman hasn't stopped talking to everyone and everything. I wouldn't be surprised if you found her in a corner talking to her stomach."

"But that's sweet," she cooed.

Pacey shook his head, chuckling quietly to himself. "Oh, to be young again," he said to Bella.

"You're telling me," Edward said quietly to himself.

Pacey furrowed his brows, looking at Edward curiously. "Wait, so you two aren't--"

"--ready to give Joey her present yet," Edward interrupted him, turning to Bella. "We should go find ours, I think I see everyone assembling around Joey."

Bella's mouth opened in protest. Edward leaned down and kissed her lips quickly, placing his hand at her waist and leading her towards everyone gathering around Joey to begin the 'present giving'.

"Kids," Pacey muttered to himself as he followed suit, taking a seat next to his wife.

--

Buffy ran into the house, and through the kitchen, where she saw that James was hiding under the cabinets. She paused for a moment, letting some tears run down her face. She couldn't keep it in any longer, and this felt like it was a long time coming.

"Buffy…" She heard James' small, boyish voice coming from below her. He came out of hiding and looked up at her, concerned. "What's d' matter?"

Buffy wiped away the tears, but she felt like she wouldn't be able to keep them in a lot longer. "Nothing.. I just need to…" Her voice came out shaky and unsure, sobs escaped her throat. She walked away quickly, not being able to speak or keep the tears from coming. She reached for the nearest door and walked into the room. There were narrow stairs and she immediately knew that it was the basement. She ran down the stairs, even though she found it odd that the lights were already on.

She collapsed at the last step, sitting down against the wall, and sobbing steadily into her arms. Her green summer dress was getting wet from her tears, but she didn't mind, because right now all she could think of was Spike's face the last time she saw him.

"'Ello?"

A voice echoed through the basement, and it sounded strangely like Spike. She looked up, startled. Instead of Spike, she saw Draco, laying on the basement floor next to the wine cooler, his head propped up against the wall. She wiped off her tears from her face with the skirt of her dress and smiled weakly. "Hello. It's Draco, right?"

"Were you cryin'?" Draco slurred, his eyebrows furrowed.

"No."

"Alright," he said, and then burst out laughing.

Buffy stood up and ambled over to Draco. "What are you doing down here?" She asked, but she already knew the answer. He held on to the bottle of vodka and took a long swig. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye as she sat down right next to him. Their shoulders were touching, but it didn't feel uncomfortable. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he was pretty drunk.

"Well, love, I--"

"Can you not call me that?" She interrupted him, and took the bottle out of his hands. She drank a little bit, cringing afterwards.

"Sorry," he said, taking the bottle back and drinking almost all of the bottle. "So why are _you _down here?" She crossed her arms over her chest. He cleared his throat. "Don' lie, I saw you cryin' over there.." He put his hand on hers. "What's got you all bothered?"

Buffy looked at Draco. "Do you think I should get married to Spike?"

Draco laughed. "I don't know. Do you _want _to get married to Spike?"

"I'm almost sure I don't."

"Life's too short, pet, do what you want to do," Draco advised, taking another swig of the vodka.

Buffy scowled at him, thinking of Spike and how happy he made her. _He _was what she wanted. She just didn't know how long it would last. "If I wanted that advise, I would have gone to a fortune cookie."

Draco chuckled. "I like you."

Buffy smiled and looked down at her lap. "Thanks." She looked up and met his eyes. "So why are you here, drinking your troubles away?"

"Do you think I should 'ave a baby?" Draco asked, but took it back instantly. "Never mind. Don't answer that question."

"Okay," she said quietly, and took the bottle from his hands, drinking the very last of the vodka. "Don't you think we're kind of pathetic? Down here, away from the party…"

"We have a right to be anti-social."

"I like to think that," Buffy stated, closing her eyes. She could feel Draco's gaze on her; it made her feel warm inside. Then she remembered Spike.

"_Right here, right now, I'm askin' you to marry me."_

It was ridiculous! She felt tears coming on. Draco apparently saw, and took her in his arms, his hand rubbing up and down her back. She felt safe for the first time in a few days. She couldn't stop the tears, and she felt like an idiot, spilling her heart out to a stranger. Even if it felt like Draco understood her, that couldn't be real. He couldn't understand what she was going through. She pulled away, ready to go back upstairs.

He pulled her back, and closer to him. He put his hand on her cheek, and used his thumb to wipe the tears away from her eyes. "If he makes you feel this way, maybe you shouldn't be with him," he whispered.

The tears stopped, and she pursed her lips. Would the pain really go away if she wasn't with him?

Draco kissed her forehead.

She looked up at him slowly.

Their lips met in less than a second, and after that second, neither of them was going to stop it.

--

Hermione looked around uncomfortably. Draco was nowhere to be found, and frankly she really didn't care. They were both in this situation together, and he didn't see her drowning herself away with all types of liquor. Although she knew it was in his nature to react to his problems in this way, she had thought that this kind of behavior was behind him. Ever since they were together she had never seen him react to problems like this so violently, even when it concerned her and her safety. Inside, she knew he was just scared. Scared that he might not be able to protect her, or their child that was going to enter the world soon. But why couldn't he just confide that in her? Why did he have to be like this?

She shook her head, wanting to forget about all the worry that was plaguing her mind. It was a party, and here she sat in the corner wallowing in her personal problems. It was supposed to be about Joey, after all. Getting up, she searched the backyard for the pregnant woman, wanting to wish her a congratulations. Spotting her, she made her way over.

She reached her, tapping her on the shoulder. Joey jumped, turned around, and giggled when she faced Hermione. "Sorry, I don't know why I'm so jumpy," she apologized.

"It's fine." Hermione brushed her off with a wave of her hand. "I just came over to wish you a congratulations. It seems like you're really enjoying being pregnant."

"You get to eat whatever you want, how can you beat that?" she joked, laughing.

"Can't really," Hermione told her, letting out a sigh. "I wish I was in your position."

"Overweight with a penguin-like stance?"

"Happy and glowing were the words I was looking for," Hermione corrected her, laughing. "It seems like it's the time of you're life. I would give my left leg to be the kind of pregnant you are."

"Well, sweetie, on the bright side you'll have less body parts that will…wait, pregnant like I am?" Joey stopped short, looking at her curiously. "Does that mean, that you're… you know," she gestured towards her midsection with her hand.

Hermione's eyes widened, her hands wringing together in front of her as she avoided Joey's gaze. Would it really be so bad if she told her? Joey was a pregnant woman who knows what she's about to go through. It would be nice to have someone to let out her worries to. One less worry on her mind would ease her a lot.

She decided to tell her. "Actually, I am."

Joey's smile broadened. "That's amazing!" she exclaimed, embracing her in a hug. "How do you feel, is it still bad?"

"Worse," she said, grimacing at the thoughts of her previous bouts of morning sickness.

"I hear ya," Joey sympathized with the younger girl, recalling how bad her morning sickness would sometimes get.

"I'm…I'm glad that I told you," Hermione admitted, looking down at her feet shyly. "I don't really have that many girlfriends, and telling someone other than Draco feels awfully good."

"I'd love to hear about any of your pregnancy dilemmas, I'm all ears," Joey assured her, smiling. "Speaking of, where is your husband?"

Hermione shrugged, shaking her head. "Honestly, I have no clue."

Joey laughed, "I'm sure he's off playing hide and seek with James. That busy-body got all of the adults to play."

--

Jess sighed angrily, getting up from his spot on the floor searching underneath the bed. He had been attempting to find James for a good ten minutes, and he was getting tired of looking for him. He was supposed to be enjoying the party with the adults, but at the moment he was stuck looking for his three year old son. Rory _so_ owed him something above and beyond later tonight when they got home.

His head jerked to the side, hearing a small pitter-patter in the hallway. He rushed out of the bedroom, seeing a dash of blue run around the corner. He heard a door open and slam, following behind his son. Opening the door, he dashed down the stairs, eager to get this game over with.

Expecting to find James, Jess grimaced. "Jeez." He looked away for a second and did a double take, looking back to see Buffy and Draco jerk away from each other, each of them walking away and pacing the room.

Draco ran his hand through his hair, moving to the liquor bottle and placing it back where he found it. He buttoned up his shirt as he walked up to Jess, opening his mouth to speak. "I think that--"

He was interrupted by the door slamming open. Jess looked up to see James fly down the stairs to his side, his eyes wide.

"Guys, we gotta go outside _now_!" He screamed, his hands flying to his head in distress. "Seriously guys, Joey is just yelling and everyone is runnin' around and I don't think they're playing tag. That Hermione lady was saying to call the doctors because its time. What is it time for?"

James didn't get his answer as everyone ran upstairs, getting ready to rush Joey to the hospital to deliver her baby.


End file.
